A compact disk that contains all the audio examples referred to in the text, and a VHS video cassette that shows some of the performances described, are available as adjuncts to this collection of essays. The various authors deal with a broad range of topics. Some of the chapters are very scientific and technological, while others deal purely with mathematics, equations, and formulas. Many of the techniques cited are obsolete; some of those described in chapter 3 are over 20 years old. The title might lead a reader to expect most of the book to deal specifically with computer music composition, but it does not.

The first few chapters do not deal with computer music research; instead, they discuss the analysis of the human vocal tract as it applies to computer synthesis of speech and singing. The treatment could apply just as well to clinical therapy and speech training. Chapter 7 deals with spatial psychoacoustics and reverberation, which would be more appropriate in a book on recording studio technology. The next few chapters move even further away from the book’s title subject, covering topics ranging from loudspeakers and spatial perception to auditory illusions, special effects, and laboratory treatments of various frequencies whose behavior theoretically may affect the way we hear sound.

Material on computer music research itself does not appear until roughly halfway through the book; fortunately, most of these chapters do justice to the current trends in the field. Chapter 13 illustrates a new type of musical scale and gives compositional examples, and chapter 16 examines a program that attempts compositional solutions to the problems of species counterpoint. Chapter 15, on synthesis, offers software-based rule sets that define the attributes of string instruments for computer simulation. Chapter 17 expands on note-lists to illustrate possible new forms of musical notation. Chapters 18, 19, and 20 are on performance. Chapter 18 deals with computer accompaniment for live soloists, chapter 19 presents a hardware-based conducting application realized through the use of MIDI interfaces, and chapter 20 describes a full-blown computer music performance incorporating electronic instruments and synthesizers.

The problem with this book is common to many anthologies. It is difficult to ascertain the intended readership because the writings move from light, informative styles to densely mathematical presentations and from hard scientific data to airy philosophical discussions. Although much of the material is interesting, the wide variety of information precludes a coherent target audience. Nevertheless, I recommend the book as a solid source of substantive information.