CurvJ/Curvaceous:
Software for Exploring the Potentials of the Computer as Performer/Conductor

Curvaceous is a computer program which generates MIDI sequencer files for exploring kinds of ensemble coordination made possible with the computer-controlled synthesizer. It can generate any number of independently accelerating or decelerating pulses, each with its own pitch sequence and MIDI velocity curve. In addition, the program can create groups of lines which gradually diverge from or converge to one of these accelerating or decelerating lines in terms of rhythm, pitch (using MIDI pitch bend values), or both.

CurvJ is a Java, GUI-enabled version of Curvaceous. Except for the divergence/convergence processing (to be added in an upcoming release), it has all the capabilities of the original program and it can be much more easily configured, either through the Java Swing GUI and/or with Java properties files.

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Much of the material in Fortuin's Branchings (1993) and Untitled #3: A Transcendental Etude for Computer-Controlled Keyboard (1987) was generated by Curvaceous, and the tempo curves for the acoustic instrumental piece Time Lines (1994) as well.