# Music based on Chess notation



## jurianbai (Nov 23, 2008)

What I really want to see in long time, the relation between chess and music. A guy from this website http://jonathanwstokes.com/2011/02/14/chess-music/ , give idea on how chess notation (1.e4 c5 ...) can be converted become music notes, resulting to become a music, or should we say "organized sound"...well, what is music actually??


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## HarpsichordConcerto (Jan 1, 2010)

Interesting. Not meaning to take this off topic but on a similar idea I suppose, is so called stochastic music. Stochastic basically means random (stochastic process is a field of probability theory and mathematical statistics). Anyway, stochastic music appears to have been pioneered by *Iannis Xenakis * (1922-2001), avant-garde composer who used mathematical models to produce much of his music. And yes indeed; music of the electronic fart, weird crappy junk variety, supposedly "organised sound", too.


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## science (Oct 14, 2010)

You might want to know that the great Philidor was also a composer. I bought an opera... haven't listened to it yet.


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## jurianbai (Nov 23, 2008)

science, and you maybe want to check Philidor photo and see if you familiar with... Philidor was composer of comical opera, there was one or two thread talking about this form but seem like even our opera lovers haven't dig into him.

hc, of course what we applaud is the idea , whatever the outcome on using random chess game. btw, in the end of that blog, there is a reverse of the idea. converting Beethoven's Ode of Joy into chess game (of course not valid chess game).

but then if you know how crazy the chess community is, they maybe come out with something like composed chess games that works as 'normal' chess games and meaningful music melody. that will create new genre in chess composition.


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## elgar's ghost (Aug 8, 2010)

I wonder what notation would be possible for when the loser has to knock his king over? Would the composer cheat and paraphrase the music by Zemlinsky that greets the death of Kandaules, for instance?


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## Chi_townPhilly (Apr 21, 2007)

elgars ghost said:


> I wonder what notation would be possible for when the loser has to knock his king over?


More to the immediate point, I wonder how sharps & flats are rendered?

In algebraic notation, columns are designated a-h, & rows (starting with the white home rank) are 
designated 1-8. The correlation to the octave seems easy enough- but I'm curious about those 'black keys.'

(Does 'h'= "German 'h,' i.e.: Bb?)


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## jurianbai (Nov 23, 2008)

that maybe the 'missed' aspect from the conversion system. there is still more symbols missed out, such as a 'check' (+), or even we can use a 'remark' symbol such as ! for sharp and ? for flat.


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## elgar's ghost (Aug 8, 2010)

Maybe the 'X' for 'captures' could be a wild card ('X' being the symbol of the unknown) and used at the composer's discretion? Don't know what 0-0/0-0-0 ('castling') could be used for apart from rests, maybe?


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## jurianbai (Nov 23, 2008)

those can do. btw, look like we have quite a chess fans here.


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## Comus (Sep 20, 2010)

Being a chess player myself (I attended 3 clubs in my area at one point) I've given thought to this idea in the past. Certainly, the piece should be contrapuntal (white vs. black). Perhaps the development of pieces in the opening could translate into some kind of thematic development.

Interesting trivia: Richard Reti, who became World Chess Champion when he ended Capablanca's eight year winning streak, was brother to Rudolph Reti, a pianist, composer, and musicologist. The latter premiered Schoenberg's _Six Little Piano Pieces_, op. 19. I find it interesting that one involved with modern music in the early 20th century and in correspondence with Schoenberg himself was brother to one of hypermodernism's (for the time an unorthodox approach to chess play) foremost proponents.


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## Chi_townPhilly (Apr 21, 2007)

*(carp)*



Comus said:


> Interesting trivia: Richard Reti, who became World Chess Champion...


Reti was never World Chess Champion.

Capablanca was unseated by Alexander Alekhine in 1927.

Vassily Smyslov, who _was_ World Chess Champion, also had training as an operatic baritone. 
Mark Taimanov, who got to the Candidates Quarters in 1971, was a concert-level pianist.


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## Comus (Sep 20, 2010)

^^^^
I stand corrected; you are absolutely right. I mixed them up as Alekhine is sometimes associated with the hypermodern school.


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## jurianbai (Nov 23, 2008)

hey hey, maybe we should set up a team match and doing correspondence vote chess, something like supporter of mozart vs schoenberg....

prokofiev is also chess lover.. vs david oistrakh


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