'GE-115 - Computer Concerto': Hear the First Concert Made by a Computer (1967)

In 1967, humanity had not yet set foot on the Moon, and it was a year before Douglas Engelbart would astonish the computing world with "The Mother of All Demos". Yet, experimental composer Pietro Grossi from the Studio Di Fonologia Musicale Di Firenze created something that very likely is the first of its kind: a Paganini medley performed by the General Electric GE-115 computer. The result? Essentially, an ancestor of chiptune.

History tells us that the first song made by a computer came from a system operated by Alan Turing, although other sources attribute that achievement to Australia's CSIRAC (a pity that no recordings exist). From there, the desire to combine music and computing never stopped, and with the arrival of video games, that relationship became even closer.

But we must make a small stop in 1967, long before Pac-Man, Gyruss, and other games with wonderful music. That year, experimental composer Pietro Grossi, also from the Studio Di Fonologia Musicale Di Firenze, poured his talent onto a General Electric GE-115, and what came out of that hardware is this:

The video is just a sample of "GE-115 - Computer Concerto", a seven-inch vinyl distributed by Olivetti - General Electric to its employees as a Christmas and New Year gift (the Italian company sold its electronics division to GE in 1964). But a quick search on the Web reveals that the record had special editions, reaching lands as remote as Japan.

Side A contains three classics based on Bach's "Das Musikalische Opfer", and Paganini's "Capriccio N. 5", which is definitely worth listening to in its original version. Side B contains a Paganini medley, a track called "Permutations of Five Sounds", and another that only bears the title "Continuo".

Unfortunately, the digitization process seems to be limited to the medley, and with more than 50 years of age, it would be great if someone could put the complete record on the Web (as long as it doesn't cause a copyright crisis in the process). As an alternative, I think it would be an interesting piece for collectors. After all, "the first concert made by a computer" is not something that can be easily ignored.

More information: Discogs