Contact: <bel@kagi.com>
Bernard Bel is a computer scientist with background in mechanical engineering and electronics. Since 1979 he has been collaborating with anthropologists, musicologists and musicians on a scientific study of North Indian melodic and rhythmic systems. His first contribution was a digitally programmable instrument -- the Shruti Harmonium -- for experiments with microtonal scales. In 1981 he built a sophisticated real-time Melodic Movement Analyser (MMA) with the aid of which he developed automatic transcription and analysis of raga music (in collaboration with Jim Arnold, Joep Bor and Wim van der Meer).
In 1986 Bel joined the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) in Marseille to work on algorithms for automatic rule generation derived from hypotheses on training methods in traditional tabla (in collaboration with Jim Kippen <kippenj@chass.utoronto.ca>). He studied artificial intelligence and graduated with a PhD in theoretical computer science in 1990.
Between 1994 and 1998, Bel was deputed to Centre de Sciences Humaines (CSH, New Delhi) to carry on projects in the field of computational musicology. His work was mainly focused on innovative music forms -- different ways of associating musical experience with information technology -- and questioning the usual dichotomy modernity/tradition outside western urban culture.
Bel's interaction with Western and Indian musicians resulted in the development of a computer environment for music composition (Bol Processor BP2) which won the Bourges 1997 international award of computer-aided composition and realization software. The Bol Processor project is now carried over in collaboration with Srikumar Karaikudi Subramanian <srikumar@krdl.org.sg>. Current work focusses on linking different music environments, notably MIDI, QuickTime and (real-time) Csound.