Algorithmic Composition Using Narrative Structure and Tension

Braga, Francisco; Bernardes, Gilberto; Dannenberg, Roger B.; Correia, Nuno

doi:10.24963/ijcai.2025/1116

Algorithmic Composition Using Narrative Structure and Tension

Francisco Braga, Gilberto Bernardes, Roger B. Dannenberg, Nuno Correia

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Proceedings of the Thirty-Fourth International Joint Conference on Artificial Intelligence. AI, Arts & Creativity. Pages 10045-10053.

https://doi.org/10.24963/ijcai.2025/1116

Keywords

Methods and resources: Evolutionary algorithms
Theory and philosophy of arts and creativity in AI systems: Autonomous creative or artistic AI
Theory and philosophy of arts and creativity in AI systems: Computational paradigms, architectures and models for creativity
Application domains: Other domains of art or creativity
Application domains: Music and sound
Methods and resources: Other methods or resources

Abstract

This paper describes an approach to algorithmic music composition that takes narrative structures as input, allowing composers to create music directly from narrative elements.

Creating narrative development in music remains a challenging task in algorithmic composition.

Our system addresses this by combining leitmotifs to represent characters, generative grammars for harmonic coherence, and evolutionary algorithms to align musical tension with narrative progression.

The system operates at different scales, from overall plot structure to individual motifs, enabling both autonomous composition and co-creation with varying degrees of user control.

Evaluation with compositions based on tales demonstrated the system's ability to compose music that supports narrative listening and aligns with its source narratives, while being perceived as familiar and enjoyable.

Francisco Braga, Gilberto Bernardes, Roger B. Dannenberg, and Nuno Correia. 2025. Algorithmic Composition Using Narrative Structure and Tension. In Proceedings of the Thirty-Fourth International Joint Conference on Artificial Intelligence, IJCAI-25. IJCAI, 10045–10053. https://doi.org/10.24963/ijcai.2025/1116

@inproceedings{ijcai2025p1116,
  title     = {Algorithmic Composition Using Narrative Structure and Tension},
  author    = {Braga, Francisco and Bernardes, Gilberto and Dannenberg, Roger B. and Correia, Nuno},
  booktitle = {Proceedings of the Thirty-Fourth International Joint Conference on
               Artificial Intelligence, {IJCAI-25}},
  publisher = {International Joint Conferences on Artificial Intelligence Organization},
  editor    = {James Kwok},
  pages     = {10045--10053},
  year      = {2025},
  month     = {8},
  note      = {AI, Arts & Creativity},
  doi       = {10.24963/ijcai.2025/1116},
  url       = {https://doi.org/10.24963/ijcai.2025/1116},
}

TY  - CPAPER
TI  - Algorithmic Composition Using Narrative Structure and Tension
AU  - Braga, Francisco
AU  - Bernardes, Gilberto
AU  - Dannenberg, Roger B.
AU  - Correia, Nuno
T2  - Proceedings of the Thirty-Fourth International Joint Conference on Artificial Intelligence, IJCAI-25
PB  - International Joint Conferences on Artificial Intelligence Organization
PY  - 2025
SP  - 10045
EP  - 10053
DO  - 10.24963/ijcai.2025/1116
UR  - https://doi.org/10.24963/ijcai.2025/1116
ER  -