The bitKlavier serves dual purposes, functioning as both a tool and an instrument. As a tool, it explores the relationship between musicians and machines, devises new tuning systems, and builds changeable, flexible digital instruments. As an instrument, it aids in composing at the interface between musician and machine and facilitates musical play and pedagogy. Designed and developed by Dan Trueman, professor and chair of the Department of Music at Princeton University, with the help of skilled designers and coders Mike Mulshine, Davis Polito, and Matt Wang, the bitKlavier combines a conventional keyboard interface with bespoke software. This innovative creation has led to multiple journal articles and a significant repertoire of new music, including two albums of music released in July 2024, featuring performances by Cristina Altamura and Adam Sliwinski. Positioned at the intersection of engineering and the arts, the bitKlavier exemplifies creative coding practice.
bitKlavier Films
The bitKlavier films are a series of 14 short films by director Mark DeChiazza and creativeX, that explore the bitKlavier through the music Dan Trueman and other composers and performing musicians are making with it. On the carousel below, the films are ordered as listed below.
1. Inside Out
by Dan Trueman, performed by Cristina Altamura
2. About Inside Out
A look into bitKlavier’s role in the work’s composition and performance
3. Synchronic
by Pascal Le Boeuf, performed by Adam Sliwinski
4. About Synchronic
A look into bitKlavier’s role in the work’s composition and performance
5. Evidence Lost
by Dan Trueman, performed by Adam Sliwinski
6. About Evidence Lost
A look into bitKlavier’s role in the work’s composition and performance
7. El Niño
by Dan Trueman, performed by Cristina Altamura and Adam Sliwinski
8. About El Niño
A look into bitKlavier’s role in the work’s composition and performance
9. An Open Step Outward
by Molly Herron, performed by Cristina Altamura
10. About An Open Step Outward
A look into bitKlavier’s role in the work’s composition and performance
11. History and Development
The origin story of the bitKlavier, and an examination of the objectives that shaped it
12. Machines and Humans
How bitKlavier locates and explores a fundamental tension in this relationship
13. Pedagogy
bitKlavier as a multi-faceted tool for teachers and students of performance and composition
14. Introduction to the Interface
Dan Trueman introduces the essential machines that comprise the core of bitKlavier
bitKlavier is produced by creativeX with additional support from the American Council of Learned Societies and Princeton University’s Department of Music, Center for the Digital Humanities, and Council on Science and Technology.
