In Memory of Max Mathews

Max Mathews opened the era of digital musical sound: He started computer music and nurtured it through all his life. It was a very important step—most electroacoustic music has gone from analog to digital. And the fact that Max did it was a good fortune for the whole community. Max was a scientist and an engineer of the highest caliber; he was a member of the U.S. National Academy of Science, and he directed important departments of Bell Laboratories when it was the greatest research institution in the world. Max also had a passion for music, and he showed a rare musical empathy: His exceptionally clear mind understood the desires of composers, and he generously worked to help fulfill those desires, even when he did not share them. I myself am very deeply indebted to him for my own work, and many others are, in a direct or indirect way. With the support of John Pierce, Max ensured that computer music benefitted from his unique ability to combine scientific and technical knowledge, to understand the challenges of different types of music, and to realize effective and practical implementations. He was an extraordinary designer. His contributions evidenced a real genius of conception; the tools he forged for music are powerful and sensible, and they favorably influenced the whole domain, facilitating the exchange of knowledge and know-how, as the Computer Music Journal demonstrates. Max also searched for new ways to make musical practice easier, not only for professionals—he wished to help listeners become performers. He developed concepts and devices to provide new ways of expressive control of the music. In his “intelligent instruments,” the computer helps in the literal rendering of the music, leaving the expressive control to the performer. The word computer often evokes dehumanization. In a musical and imaginative way, Max strongly contributed to making our relations with digital tools more harmonious, both in the literal and the figurative sense.