An HTTP Interface to Common Music

This paper describes the addition of web-compatible network support to Common Music for a large subset of its functionality. The core score description language and most output capabilities reside on a serving machine and communicate via a native LISP HTTP server with any authorized machine in the local or global network. Accessing the system via the network protocol is intended to enhance existing functionalty rather than replace local interaction with the software. The choice of HTTP and its related protocols is implied by the goal of providing a composition server. The wide availability of web browsers and other clients as well as their inherent platform-independency and support for executable code (Java) set web-based access methods well ahead of other options. Adding server functionality to the composition software relieves weaker machines from running a fulledged LISP environment and enables all clients to make use of scarce or non-standard resource on the server side, such as platform-speci c target software or sound synthesis capabilities. In addition, a client-server design of composition software facilitates greatly lab administration and classroom teaching. Although moving the system in the direction of a client-server architecture seems desireable from a user's or administrator's point of view, we expect composers to bene t most from the ease with which other software clients will be able to use Common Music's compositional services. 1 Composition Server Model