Authors
B. Cornelissen
Date (dd-mm-yyyy)
2026-03-27
Title
Algo Pärt: An Algorithmic Reconstruction of Arvo Pärt's Summa
Publication Year
2026-03-27
Number of pages
21
Publisher
v1ArXiv
Document type
Preprint
Abstract
Arvo Pärt is one of the most popular contemporary composers, known for his highly original tintinnabuli style. Works in this style are typically composed according to precise procedures and have even been described as algorithmic compositions. To understand how algorithmic Pärt's music exactly is, this paper presents an analysis by synthesis: it proposes an algorithm that almost completely reconstructs the score of Summa, his "most strictly constructed and most encrypted work," according to Pärt himself in 1994. The piece is analyzed and then formalized using so-called tintinnabuli processes. An implementation of the resulting algorithm generates a musical score matching Summa in over 93% of the notes. Due to interdependencies between the voices, only half of the mistakes (3.5%) need to be corrected to reproduce the original score faithfully. This study shows that Summa is a largely algorithmic composition and offers new perspectives on the music of Arvo Pärt.
URL
go to publisher's site
Permalink
https://hdl.handle.net/11245.1/309be8f5-e6ba-4eb4-8eb5-76869ae92acc