Envisaging Improvisation in Future Computer Music

This article offers a fairly speculative consideration of opportunities in sonic improvisation using computers, since the field is moving rapidly. The literature mentioned and the emphases discussed here are those of the period since roughly 2001. This article summarizes some core features and perennial issues involved in improvisation. Improvisation involves computers, whether as passive mediator or by means of some more extensive "active" generation or processing of data in the computer's central processing unit. It is considered as the topic primarily from the perspective of sound creators and of listeners. Furthermore, this article considers specific roles of computers in improvisation. Finally, it concludes with a discussion of their future, even quite long term, and their improvising potentials.