Algorithmic Composition of Harmonic Progressions through Markovian Processes in the Style of Antonio Carlos Jobim

Abstract

This article is associated with a recently concluded analysis of the music by Antonio Carlos Jobim (1927–1994) focusing on harmonic relationships. The methodological development of the research was accomplished in two stages: computer-assisted analysis and statistical survey of the analyzed data. The analytical process was grounded on a theoretical-methodological framework (called System J), whose basis are described in detail in a recent publication (Almada et al. 2019a). Principles, procedures, and concepts, amongst them the notions of quality-class and binary relation, oriented the data production. The main objective of this article is to present one of the compositional applications arising from the processing and discussion of the data obtained along the statistical mapping. This is the software JobKov, designed for algorithmic composition of stylistically Jobinian original chord progressions through Markovian stochastic processes. The article introduces and describes the algorithms created and the structure of the program, also discussing how statistical factors are of paramount importance for determining compositional styles.