A quantum computer uses quantum phenomena—like superposition and entanglement—to perform computations in ways that differ from classical computers. It can explore many possibilities at once and may give exponential speedups for many hard computational problems. The basic unit in quantum computing is the qubit, which, unlike a classical bit, can be in a superposition of two states.
Practical quantum computers are still experimental. Building stable, low-error qubits is difficult because of decoherence and noise. There is a growing interest in exploring quantum computing for many different tasks. Artistic exploration—including music composition and performance—is a natural part of this exploration. We are fortunate to have quantum computer music pioneer Eduardo Reck Miranda visiting Oslo to talk about his experiences and play some of his music.
Concert Programme
- FlytPunkt 2 by Anders Tveit, followed by Improvisation by Victoria Johnson
Programme Notes
1. FlytPunkt 2 by Anders Tveit, followed by Improvisation by Victoria Johnson
This is the second and shorter of two works written for violin and machine-learned electronics. These pieces artistically explore the computer's inherent limitations in approximating and interpreting human understanding. The work is written for violin and a computer-controlled player piano, where a computer model (SOMAX from IRCAM) trained on Ligeti's piano e?tudes (Nos. 5 and 8) "listens" and interacts with the violin, attempting to generate musical motifs and phrases that differ from its trained material.
2. I don't know how, but I will find a way
This composition is based on playing a violin outfitted with special sensors. Every gesture and finger movement on the violin becomes a way to interact with quantum computational processes and control electronic synthesisers. The violin is connected to two quantum computing systems. First, it drives the qubits of a quantum simulation sound synthesiser called Q1Synth. It synthesises sounds by sonifying quantum states. The resulting audio arises from the dynamic evolution and measurement of qubits. Second, a quantum AI system called Paulis' MIDI (formerly known as QuSing) continuously listens to the violin, extracts and learns musical rules on the fly, and produces musical responses. These responses are generated by algorithms that are processed live on a superconducting quantum computer located at TU Delft in the Netherlands.
By coupling the expressive nuances of the violin with quantum operations, the composition explores human gestures and the probabilistic nature of quantum mechanics. This performance is an experiment in dialogue between the physical instrument and quantum phenomena that underlie reality.
The vocal sounds and utterances woven through this piece are in Vōv, an artificial language developed by David J. Peterson for my opera Lampedusa. David is a conlanger renowned for having created the Dothraki language for Game of Thrones. Vōv is a language of a could-be world. It is an open system of meaning that mirrors the indeterminacy at the heart of quantum mechanics. Just as quantum states exist in superposition, hovering between possibilities, Vōv hovers between explicit meaning and musical intuition.
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Vōv |
English |
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Kyendr? weykhai ekhambuw. |
These are real. |
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Olau duw skai m?vowhuw |
We cannot see them |
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Ghowth Ro-br?v?ng?dhuwrluw, |
Because of our Ro-processors, |
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Iy ?huwkhai. |
But they exist. |
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M?zau ?huwkhai iy. |
They must still exist. |
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M?zau woluw iy. |
We must still exist. |
3. Heisenberg's Hammer
This composition invites listeners into a multidimensional soundscape shaped by the principles of quantum mechanics. At its heart is the notion of quantum walks. Unlike a classical random walk, in which a system moves step by step in a single path, a quantum walk allows the system to explore multiple pathways simultaneously in a superposition of possibilities.
To create the piece, I customised various synthesisers to produce the elements of the soundscape. Then, I programmed a quantum walk algorithm using Zen, a programming language for live coding music. The program enables me to manipulate qubits to adjust the probabilities of the system moving along certain pathways through the soundscape. During the performance, in effect, I do not reproduce pre-composed sound sequences. Instead, I shape the conditions under which sonic possibilities emerge. Because quantum phenomena are fundamentally probabilistic, every performance of Heisenberg's Hammer unfolds differently. Each listening experience becomes a unique journey through the soundscape.
Heisenberg's Hammer is an experiment in balancing human agency and quantum indeterminacy, using the unpredictable logic of superposition and entanglement to generate a constantly evolving musical experience. Zen is being developed to eventually run quantum algorithms on real quantum processors. But Heisenberg's Hammer uses Zen's embedded quantum computing simulator. The algorithm needs only 5 qubits.
4. Moment States
To compose Moment States, I used three systems that draw on different aspects of quantum computing. The first is a synthesiser that generates sound by sonifying the behaviour of photons. I made a variety of sounds with a photonic computer developed by Xanadu, some of which were included in the piece. Moment States opens with one of them.
The second system implements a procedural generation technique based on Partitioned Quantum Cellular Automata, or PQCA. Using 120 qubits, I generated patterns of rhythmic clusters. A selection of them is played back on a digital piano during the live performance. The third is an AI system that generates musical responses to my piano performance in real time. It employs Quantum Reservoir Computing (QRC).
QRC is a machine learning method that leverages quantum dynamics to generate structurally coherent musical sequences. I pre-trained this model with a set of piano pieces of my own, using an IQM quantum computer. In addition, I trained the system to imitate Karlheinz Stockhausen's Klavierstücke X. The system produced multiple soundalikes of Stockhausen's music, one of which can be heard in this composition. Can you spot it?
Together, these three systems form a hybrid environment where quantum computation, machine learning, and human performance intersect to create unique musical moments, hence the title of the piece.
Acknowledgements
The systems mentioned above were invented and developed at the Interdisciplinary Centre for Computer Music Research (ICCMR), at the University of Plymouth, UK, with external collaborators. Special credits to P. Thomas (Q1Synth and Zen), H. Miller-Bakewell (PQCA), H. Shaji (QRC), P. Itaboraí, and B. Siegelwax (Paulis MIDI). Thanks to Prof. Karl Jansen for enabling access to IBM quantum computers through Desy in Germany. Also, many thanks to IQM in Finland and Xanadu in Canada for their support. My sincere gratitude to the Quantum Inspire team at QuTech, TU Delft, in the Netherlands, for providing direct access to their quantum hardware through the Internet for today's live performance of I don't know how, but I will find a way.
Biographies
Eduardo Reck Miranda is a composer and Professor of Computer Music at the University of Plymouth, where he leads the Interdisciplinary Centre for Computer Music Research (ICCMR). He has worked with AI in music since the 1980s, defended one of the UK's earliest PhDs on AI for music at the University of Edinburgh in 1995, and pioneered neo?Darwinian evolutionary and bio?inspired computational models for musical creativity. He is world-renowned for his work in Brain-Computer Interfaces and musical AI. He has composed for the BBC Concert Orchestra and London Sinfonietta. His opera, Lampedusa, which explores the theme of many-worlds interpretation of quantum mechanics, was premiered by BBC Singers in 2019. His book, Quantum Computer Music, was published in 2022 by Springer.
Victoria Johnson is a distinguished violinist recognised for integrating the acoustic and electric violin with electronics and video. She studied violin in Oslo, Vienna, and London and completed the artistic research project "Electric Violin in Digital Space" at the Norwegian Academy of Music. Her solo performances have been featured at notable festivals, including the Ultima Festival in Oslo, the London Ear Festival, and the Bergen International Festival. In 2012, she released her debut solo CD, "Suspended Beginnings," in collaboration with composer Diemo Schwarz. She teaches at the Barratt Due Institute of Music in Oslo and the Department of Musicology at the University of Oslo and is deeply engaged in contemporary and interdisciplinary music projects.