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␈↓"∧␈↓ α∧␈↓␈↓ βd␈↓	Office of the Director of Graduate Programs
␈↓"∧␈↓ α∧␈↓	␈↓ ∧|␈↓Faculty of Arts and Sciences
␈↓"∧␈↓ α∧␈↓␈↓ ¬∃University of Pittsburgh
␈↓"∧␈↓ α∧␈↓␈↓ ¬$Pittsburgh, PA. 15260

␈↓"∧␈↓ α∧␈↓␈↓ βpConfidential Statement Concerning Otto E. Laske


␈↓"∧␈↓ α∧␈↓␈↓	Knowledge␈αof␈αthe␈αApplicant:␈↓␈αI␈αhad␈αthe␈αoccasion␈αto␈αmeet␈αMr.␈αLaske␈αin␈α1973␈αwhile
␈↓ α∧␈↓I␈α∩was␈α∩visiting␈α∩the␈α∩studio␈α∩at␈α∩Utrecht.␈α⊃ At␈α∩that␈α∩time␈α∩we␈α∩had␈α∩a␈α∩lengthy␈α⊃discussion
␈↓ α∧␈↓concerning␈α⊃the␈α⊂use␈α⊃of␈α⊂computers␈α⊃as␈α⊂applied␈α⊃to␈α⊂music␈α⊃and,␈α⊂in␈α⊃particular,␈α⊃our␈α⊂own
␈↓ α∧␈↓interests.␈α⊂ In␈α⊂1973␈α⊂Mr.␈α⊂Laske␈α⊃visited␈α⊂the␈α⊂Stanford␈α⊂Artificial␈α⊂Intelligence␈α⊃facility␈α⊂at
␈↓ α∧␈↓which␈α
time␈α
he␈α
presented␈α∞his␈α
work␈α
to␈α
a␈α∞group␈α
of␈α
interested␈α
composers␈α∞and␈α
scientists.
␈↓ α∧␈↓In addition, we have corresponded on numerous occasions.

␈↓"∧␈↓ α∧␈↓␈↓	Evaluation␈α∂of␈α∞Applicant's␈α∂Work:␈↓␈α∞Mr.␈α∂Laske␈α∞is␈α∂one␈α∞of␈α∂a␈α∞group␈α∂of␈α∞theorecticians
␈↓ α∧␈↓whose␈α∃interest␈α∃is␈α∀applying␈α∃to␈α∃music␈α∀composition␈α∃theories␈α∃drawn␈α∃from␈α∀linguistic
␈↓ α∧␈↓research.␈α∂ Although␈α∂there␈α∞is␈α∂no␈α∂a␈α∂priori␈α∞reason␈α∂to␈α∂suppose␈α∞that␈α∂a␈α∂formal␈α∂model␈α∞of
␈↓ α∧␈↓music␈α
is␈αamenable␈α
to␈αsuch␈α
an␈αapproach,␈α
given␈αthe␈α
fundamentally␈α
different␈αcharacter
␈↓ α∧␈↓of,␈α
for␈α
example,␈αsyntax␈α
and␈α
meaning␈αas␈α
applied␈α
to␈α
music␈αand␈α
language␈α
even␈αin␈α
highly
␈↓ α∧␈↓restricted␈α∞domains,␈α
the␈α∞fascination␈α∞continues␈α
and␈α∞will␈α∞produce␈α
some␈α∞insight␈α∞into␈α
the
␈↓ α∧␈↓problem␈α
according␈αto␈α
the␈αmusical␈α
intelligence␈α
of␈αthe␈α
researcher.␈α I␈α
consider␈αMr.␈α
 Laske
␈↓ α∧␈↓to be superior in this regard.

␈↓"∧␈↓ α∧␈↓Although␈αI␈α
believe␈αthat␈α
it␈αis␈α
perhaps␈αpre-mature␈α
for␈αany␈α
startling␈αresults␈α
to␈αbe␈α
yielded
␈↓ α∧␈↓from␈α⊃studies␈α⊃in,␈α⊃say,␈α⊂generative␈α⊃aesthetic␈α⊃theory␈α⊃(given␈α⊂how␈α⊃little␈α⊃is␈α⊃known␈α⊂about
␈↓ α∧␈↓perception),␈α∂I␈α∂also␈α∂believe␈α∂that␈α⊂it␈α∂is␈α∂important␈α∂that␈α∂researchers␈α∂having␈α⊂Mr.␈α∂Laske's
␈↓ α∧␈↓qualifications␈αand␈αinterests␈α
be␈αgiven␈αthe␈α
opportunity,␈αindeed␈αencouragement,␈α
to␈αwork
␈↓ α∧␈↓in␈αa␈αcompositional␈α
environment␈αthat␈αis␈α
computer␈αbased␈α(his␈α
use␈αof␈αthe␈α
terms␈αexplicit
␈↓ α∧␈↓model␈αand␈αprotocol␈αare␈αaltogether␈αdependent␈αon␈αcomputers)␈αsuch␈αas␈αthat␈αwhich␈αexists
␈↓ α∧␈↓in␈α↔Pittsburgh.␈α↔ To␈α↔be␈α↔more␈α↔precise,␈α↔I␈α↔believe␈α↔that␈α↔Mr.␈α↔Laske␈α↔would␈α⊗benefit
␈↓ α∧␈↓enormously from proximity to a group of active composers.

␈↓"∧␈↓ α∧␈↓I␈αfind␈αMr.␈αLaske's␈αwork␈αto␈αbe␈αhighly␈αabstract␈αto␈αthe␈αexclusion,␈αas␈αfar␈αas␈αI␈αcan␈αtell,␈αof
␈↓ α∧␈↓any␈α
concrete␈αresults.␈α
 As␈αI␈α
know␈αof␈α
some␈αof␈α
his␈αdifficulties␈α
in␈αfinding␈α
a␈αlocation␈α
where
␈↓ α∧␈↓he␈α∪might␈α∩pursue␈α∪his␈α∩theories␈α∪at␈α∪a␈α∩more␈α∪concrete␈α∩level,␈α∪this␈α∩is␈α∪not␈α∪necessarily␈α∩a
␈↓ α∧␈↓criticism.␈α
 His␈α
single␈α
attempt␈α
at␈α
implementation␈α
was␈α
unfortuneately␈α
aborted␈α
due␈α
to␈αa
␈↓ α∧␈↓reduction␈αof␈αstaff␈αat␈αthe␈αUtrecht␈αfacility.␈α I␈αwould␈αthink␈αthat␈αwith␈αthe␈αknowledge␈αand
␈↓ α∧␈↓skills␈α∞represented␈α∞at␈α∞Pittsburgh␈α∞and␈α∞Carnegie-Mellon␈α∞Universities,␈α∞Mr.␈α∞Laske␈α
would
␈↓ α∧␈↓be␈αin␈αan␈αideal␈αenvironment,␈αwhich␈αis␈αat␈αthe␈αsame␈αtime␈αchallenging␈αand␈αsupportive,␈αto
␈↓ α∧␈↓attempt to realize some of his goals.

␈↓"∧␈↓ α∧␈↓                                       John M. Chowning
␈↓"∧␈↓ α∧␈↓                                       Deptartment of Music
␈↓"∧␈↓ α∧␈↓                                       Stanford University