Timbre and harmony: Interpolations of timbral structures

In this article, I discuss the use of musical timbre and harmony, and their relations, taking examples from my own works. I discuss also the use of the computer in composition and musical research. Speaking of timbre, I introduce the sound/noise axis, which I use to create musical tension and to replace the dynamic function of harmony. Along this axis, generally speaking, “noise” replaces the concept of dissonance and “sound” that of consonance. The axis is, nevertheless, only one‐dimensional, and I wonder if there might be ways to organize timbre in more complex — hierarchical? — ways. In my work with the computer I seek ways of combining in a concrete way timbre and harmony, for example by using similar models for building sounds themselves and their pitch organizations.