In memoriam: Max Mathews

Sadly, we must bid farewell to another of our authors - in this case one whose connection to us goes back more than 40 years. Max Mathews, a legendary figure in computer music, died on April 21 in San Francisco at the age of 84. Mathews was an emeritus faculty member of Stanford University's Computer Research in Music and Acoustics (CCRMA) at the time of his passing. He was the author or editor of seven books for us and also wrote the foreword to last year's The Audio Programming Book, edited by Richard Boulanger and Victor Lazzarini.

A thorough and detailed obituary from Stanford reveals that his pioneering path in computer music goes all the way back to 1957, when he wrote a program called "Music" that would direct an IBM mainframe computer to play a short composition. "Music" was the progenitor of future computer music programs like Csound and Cmix. He also worked with composers such as John Cage and Edgard Varese, and helped Pierre Boulez found the Institut de Recherche et Coordination Acoustique/Musique (IRCAM) in Paris in the 1970s.

A memorial service will be held at CCRMA on May 29, according to the Stanford obit, which also notes how involved he remained at the center. Here's proof - a 2010 video of Mathews demonstrating his radio baton controller program, which includes a basic history of computer music itself. Great stuff from a pioneer who will be missed.

 

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[Eric Witz]

This special issue of Computer Music Journal from the Fall of 2009 is a tribute to Max Mathews, and includes an interview with him: http://www.mitpressjournals.org/toc/comj/33/3