Versificator - Render 3

The idea for Versificator – Render 3 was inspired by the “versificator” in George Orwell’s 1984: a fictional machine that automatically produced music and literature. I’ve always loved science fiction, and while thinking about how automated music is often portrayed as something dehumanizing in dystopian stories like those of Orwell and Huxley, a question came to mind: what if these machines could actually create something artistically meaningful?

Instead of seeing automated music generation only as a tool of alienation, I wondered whether it could become a genuine creative partner. This led me to experiment with an almost fully automated rule-based compositional process using computer algorithms. The result of that exploration is Versificator – Render 3, a piece for vocal ensemble. In 1984, the versificator was used for social control. In my work, I reimagine it as a tool for artistic investigation that allows music and text to emerge from a dynamic exchange between automated generative processes and the subjectivity of a human composer.

Versificator – Render 3 for vocal ensemble; Vocal Ensemble 'Tabula Rasa' (Sigrun Jørdre, sopran; Rikke Lina Sorell Matthiesen, sopran; Tord Kalvenes, tenor; Arild Rohde, tenor; Jakub Niedziela, bass.)

Recorded at Knut Knaus Auditorium (KMD, UiB) on February 20, 2025.

Sound Engineer: Davide Bertolini