MorpheuS: Automatic music generation with recurrent pattern constraints and tension profiles

Generating music with long-term structure is one of the main challenges in the field of automatic composition. This article describes MorpheuS, a music generation system. MorpheuS uses state-of-the-art pattern detection techniques to find repeated patterns in a template piece. These patterns are then used to constrain the generation process for a new polyphonic composition. The music generation process is guided by an efficient optimization algorithm, variable neighborhood search, which uses a mathematical model of tonal tension to derive its objective function. The ability to generate music according to a tension profile could be useful in a game or film music context. Pieces generated by MorpheuS have been performed in live concerts.This project is funded in part by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 658914