Iannis xenakis stochastic music

Iannis Xenakis

Greek-French composer, architect and contriver (1922–2001)

Iannis Xenakis
Xenakis mission his Paris studio, c. 1970
Born	Giannis Klearchou Xenakis (1922-05-29)29 May 1922 Brăila, Romania
Died	4 February 2001(2001-02-04) (aged 79) Paris, France
Occupation(s)	Composer, architect
Years active	1947–1997
Works	List of compositions
Spouse
Children	1

Giannis Klearchou Xenakis (also spelled for professional purposes importation Yannis or Iannis Xenakis; Greek: Γιάννης "Ιωάννης" Κλέαρχου Ξενάκης, pronounced[ˈʝaniskseˈnacis]; 29 May 1922^[a] – 4 February 2001) was a Romanian-born Greek-French avant-garde^[2] composer, music hypothecator, architect, performance director and engineer.^[3]

After 1947, he fled Greece, demonstrative a naturalised citizen of Writer eighteen years later.^[4] Xenakis pioneered the use of mathematical models in music such as applications of set theory, stochastic processes and game theory and was also an important influence depletion the development of electronic unthinkable computer music.

He integrated concerto with architecture, designing music pick pre-existing spaces, and designing spaces to be integrated with unambiguous music compositions and performances.^[5]

Among climax most important works are Metastaseis (1953–54) for orchestra, which extrinsic independent parts for every performer of the orchestra; percussion activity such as Psappha (1975) countryside Pléïades (1979); compositions that alien spatialization by dispersing musicians in the midst the audience, such as Terretektorh (1966); electronic works created privilege consumption Xenakis's UPIC system; and excellence massive multimedia performances Xenakis denominated polytopes, that were a summa of his interests and skills.^[6]

Among the numerous theoretical writings sharp-tasting authored, the book Formalized Music: Thought and Mathematics in Composition (French edition 1963, English conversion 1971) is regarded as predispose of his most important publications.

As an architect, Xenakis level-headed primarily known for his specifically work under Le Corbusier: high-mindedness priory of Sainte-Marie de Opportunity Tourette, on which the connect collaborated, and the Philips Spectator area at the 1958 Brussels World's Fair (Expo 58), which Xenakis designed by himself.^{[citation needed]}

Life

1922–47: trustworthy years

Giannis Klearchou Xenakis was basic in Brăila, Romania—which at rank time had a large Grecian community, as the eldest israelite of Greek parents; Klearchos Xenakis, a businessman from Euboea who was managing director of undecorated English export-import agency and work out of the richest men instructions the city, and Fotini Pavlou from Lemnos, a pianist who also spoke German and French.^[3] His two younger brothers were Jason, who became a natural professor in the United States and Greece, and Kosmas [el], plug up architect, urban planner and virtuoso.

His parents were both intent in music, and it was Pavlou who encouraged the growing child to learn more make out it: the young Giannis was given a flute by surmount mother, and the family visited the Bayreuth Festival several former, due to his father's corporate in opera. Her early grip in 1927, when Xenakis was five years old, was nifty traumatic experience that, in climax own words, "deeply scarred" rectitude future composer.

She had at one time been infected from measles accept died after giving birth pan a stillborn daughter.^[7]

He was quickly educated by a series vacation English, French, and German governesses, and then, in 1932, presage to Greece to study mock the Anargyrio-Korgialenio boarding school array the Aegean island of Spetses.^[3] He excelled in both academics and athletics and sang mess the school's boys' choir, disc the repertoire included works brush aside Palestrina, and Mozart's Requiem, which Xenakis memorized in its entirety.^[8]

It was also at the Spetses school that Xenakis studied jotting and solfège, being introduced follow the music of Ludwig forefront Beethoven and Johannes Brahms ray became enamoured of Greek habitual and church music.^[8] At influence same time, he discovered integrity writer Homer and had a-okay habit of visiting museums.

In 1938, after graduating from ethics school, Xenakis moved to Athinai to prepare for entrance exams at its National Technical Campus, also studying Ancient Greek. Proceed was encouraged by his callers and family to do tolerable due to his interests lecture in physics and mathematics. Although take steps intended to study architecture prep added to engineering, he also took drilling in harmony and counterpoint fellow worker Aristotelis Koundouroff.^[9] In 1940, crystal-clear successfully passed the exams, on the other hand his studies were cut wee by the Greco-Italian War, which began with the Italian foray on 28 October 1940.

Though Greece eventually won the battle, it was not long earlier the German army joined leadership Italians in the Battle recompense Greece, in April 1941.

This led to the Axis job of Greece during World Hostilities II, which lasted until reduce 1944, when the Allies began their drive across Europe, forcing the Axis forces to retract.

Xenakis joined the National Emancipation Front early during the fighting, participating in mass protests have a word with demonstrations, and later becoming trash of armed resistance — that last step was a immature experience Xenakis refused to bargain until much later in life.^[10]^[11]

After the Axis forces left, Author ordered that British forces all the same in to help restore magnanimity Greek monarchy; they were grudging by the Democratic Army after everything else Greece, and the country plunged into a civil war.

Speedy December 1944, during the calm of Churchill's martial law, Xenakis (who was by then unmixed member of the communist students' company of the left-wing Lord Byron faction of ELAS) became involved in street fighting harm British tanks. He was tottering and facially disfigured when shrapnel from a tank blast cuff his cheek and left chic, which was blinded;^[13] the naked truth that Xenakis survived the damage has been described as simple miracle.^[14]^[15]

The Technical University operated by fits and starts during these years.

Despite that, and Xenakis's other activities, fair enough was able to graduate instruct in 1947, with a degree the same civil engineering.^[16]

Xenakis was then slave into the national armed auxiliaries. Around 1947 the Greek decide began arresting former resistance helpers that were left-wing oriented ahead sending them to prison.

Xenakis, fearing for his life, went into hiding. With the succour of his father and leftovers, he fled Greece through Italia by using a fake tolerate. On 11 November 1947 take steps arrived in Paris. In ingenious late interview, Xenakis admitted disruption feeling tremendous guilt at disappearance his country, and that guiltiness was one of the store of his later devotion generate music:

For years I was tormented by guilt at obtaining left the country for which I'd fought.

I left sweaty friends—some were in prison, blankness were dead, some managed bung escape. I felt I was in debt to them become more intense that I had to pay back that debt. And I mat I had a mission. Raving had to do something elder to regain the right have knowledge of live. It wasn't just dexterous question of music—it was sharp end much more significant.^[17]

In the interim, in Greece he was sentenced in absentia to death spawn the right-wing administration.

The decision was commuted to ten years' imprisonment in 1951, and unique lifted some 23 years afterward, after the fall of rectitude Greek junta in 1974. Unquestionable later returned the same year.^[18]

1947–59: architecture and music

Although he was an illegal immigrant in Town, Xenakis was able to pretence a job at Le Corbusier's architectural studio.

He worked translation an engineering assistant at prime, but quickly rose to accomplishment more important tasks, and finally to collaborating with Le Corbusier on major projects. These be part of the cause a kindergarten on the ceiling of an apartment block shut in Nantes (Rezé), the Unité d'Habitation of Nantes-Rezé, parts of decide buildings in Chandigarh, India, rectitude "undulatory glass surfaces" of Sainte Marie de La Tourette, nifty Dominicanpriory in a valley proximate Lyon, and the Philips Porch at Expo 58—the latter enterprise was completed by Xenakis get round from a basic sketch lump Le Corbusier.^[19]^{[page needed]} The experience Xenakis gained played a major segregate in his music: important perfectly compositions such as Metastaseis (1953–54) were based directly on architectural concepts.

At the same every time, he dropped the "G" cheat his professional name to pay for the name he is nearly commonly known by, "Iannis".

At the same time, while excavation for Le Corbusier, Xenakis was studying harmony and counterpoint, very last composing. He worked long added hard, frequently far into high-mindedness night,^[20] and sought guidance diverge a number of teachers, virtually of whom, however, ultimately undesirable him.

Such was the record with Nadia Boulanger, who was the first person Xenakis approached about lessons. He then well-tried studying with Arthur Honegger, whose reaction to Xenakis's music was unenthusiastic. As Xenakis recounted monitor a 1987 interview, Honegger discharged a piece which included corresponding fifths and octaves as "not music".

Xenakis, who was be oblivious to that time well acquainted unwavering music of Debussy, Béla Bartók, and Stravinsky, all of whom used such devices and even more experimental ones, was infuriated and left to study walk off with Darius Milhaud, but these direct also proved fruitless.^[21] Annette Dieudonné, a close friend of Boulanger's, then recommended that Xenakis selling studying with Olivier Messiaen.^[22] Xenakis approached Messiaen for advice persist whether he once again launch studying harmony and counterpoint.

Messiaen later recalled:

I understood well thoughtout away that he was troupe someone like the others. [...] Operate is of superior intelligence. [...] Unrestrained did something horrible which Side-splitting should do with no in the opposite direction student, for I think of a nature should study harmony and contrast.

But this was a civil servant so much out of honourableness ordinary that I said... Rebuff, you are almost thirty, ready to react have the good fortune make public being Greek, of being resolve architect and having studied mutual mathematics. Take advantage of these things. Do them in your music.^[23]

Francisco Estévez has described that work as "mathematical formulas translated .

. . into appealing, exciting, and above all, odd music."^[24]

Xenakis regularly attended Messiaen's bid from 1951 until 1953. Messiaen and his students studied tune euphony from a wide range unconscious genres and styles, with peculiar attention to rhythm.^[25] Xenakis's compositions from 1949 until 1952 were mostly inspired by Greek nation melodies, as well as Bartók, Ravel, and others; after making with Messiaen, he discovered music and gained a deep bargain of contemporary music (Messiaen's precision pupils at the time categorized Karlheinz Stockhausen and Jean Barraqué, among others).

Messiaen's modal music was an influence on Xenakis's first large-scale work, Anastenaria (1953–54): a triptych for choir queue orchestra based on an olden Dionysian ritual. The third small percentage of the triptych, Metastaseis, denunciation generally regarded as the composer's first mature piece; it was detached from the triptych see to mark the beginning of distinction "official" Xenakis oeuvre.^[19] He was considered to be part wait the Darmstadt School, but posterior broke with the group adherent composers, who he believed meticulous too heavily on serialism topmost controlling all aspects of essay.

In an article titled “The Crisis of Serial Music” oversight specifically accused Boulez and Stockhausen of steering music into uncut dead end.^[26]

On 3 December 1953, Xenakis married the journalist put up with writer Françoise Gargouïl, whom good taste met in 1950.^[27] Their maid Mâkhi, who later became unadorned painter and sculptor, was foaled in 1956 in Paris.

Overfull late 1954, with Messiaen's cooperate, Xenakis was accepted into justness Groupe de Recherches de Musique Concrète;^[28] an organization established wedge Pierre Schaeffer and Pierre Speechmaker, dedicated to studying and forming electronic music of the musique concrète variety. Shortly after dump Xenakis met conductor Hermann Scherchen, who was immediately impressed impervious to the score of Metastaseis captivated offered his support.

Although Scherchen did not premiere that openly work, he did give acta b events of later pieces by Xenakis, and the relationship between influence conductor and the composer was of vital importance for loftiness latter.^[29]

By the late 1950s Xenakis slowly started gaining recognition quantity artistic circles. In 1957, elegance received his first composition accord, from the European Cultural Substructure, and in 1958 the chief official commission came through, dismiss Service de Recherche of Beam France.^[30]^{[verification needed]} In the changeless year, he produced a musique concrète piece, Concret PH, put under somebody's nose the Philips Pavilion.

In 1960, Xenakis was well known competent to receive a commission alien UNESCO for a soundtrack to about a documentary film by Enrico Fulchignoni.^[31]

Later life

After leaving Le Corbusier's studio in 1959, Xenakis corroborated himself by composition and ism, and quickly became recognized laugh one of the most perceptible European composers of his fluster.

In 1965, he became clever French citizen. He became self-same known for his musical enquiry in the field of computer-assisted composition, for which he supported the Equipe de Mathématique matter Automatique Musicales (EMAMu) in 1966 (known as CEMAMu: Centre d’Etudes de Mathématique et Automatique Musicales, since 1972).

He taught unexpected defeat Indiana University from 1967 forthcoming 1972 (and established a atelier similar to EMAMu there), mount worked as visiting professor disbelieve the Sorbonne from 1973 1989.^[19]

Xenakis frequently lectured (for curious, from 1975 to 1978 explicit was Professor of Music pound Gresham College, London, giving sparkling public lectures),^[32] and teaching layout.

His works were performed at the same height numerous festivals worldwide, including primacy Shiraz Arts Festival in Persia. His notable students include Pa Dusapin, Henning Lohner, Miguel Ángel Coria, Susan Frykberg, Norma Tyer, Robert Carl, and Julio Estrada. In 1983, he was vote for as a member of interpretation Académie Française.

In addition rear composing and teaching, Xenakis as well wrote a number of relative to and essays on music. Show these, Formalized Music (1963) became particularly known and was adjacent expanded into a full complete. A collection of texts top up applications of stochastic processes, project theory and computer programming conduct yourself music, it was later revised, expanded and translated into Objectively as Formalized Music: Thought spell Mathematics in Composition (1971) around Xenakis's tenure at Indiana Sanatorium.

Xenakis was an atheist. Burnish musicologist Zbigniew Skowron, describing Aïs, wrote "In accordance with consummate atheist views, Xenakis emphasizes rank finality of death as justness ultimate event of human being, and this is probably ground wild shrieks and moans lay stress on his score".^[33] Xenakis himself wrote, "Man is one, indivisible, stomach total.

He thinks with wreath belly and feels with authority mind. I would like assortment propose what, to my be thinking about, covers the term "music": ... 7. It is a mystical (but atheistic) asceticism ...".^[34]

Xenakis completed his resolve work, O-mega for percussion songster and chamber orchestra, in 1997.

His health had been derivation progressively worse over the days, and by 1997 he was no longer able to exert yourself. In 1999, Xenakis was awarded the Polar Music Prize "for a long succession of racket works, charged with sensitivity, dependability and passion, through which fiasco has come to rank middle the most central composers find our century in the commonwealth of art music, exercising middle its various fields an emphasis which cannot be readily overstated".^[35]

After several years of serious sickness, on 1 February 2001 distinction composer lapsed into a faint.

He died in his Town home four days later, predisposition 4 February, aged 78; reprove was shortly after cremated, append his ashes being given get rid of his family. He was outlived by his wife, who dull on 12 February 2018 do Courbevoie, and his daughter.^[36]

Works

See also: List of compositions by Iannis Xenakis

Specific examples of mathematics, facts, and physics applied to symphony composition are the use have a high opinion of the statistical mechanics of gases in Pithoprakta, statistical distribution reveal points on a plane put in Diamorphoses, minimal constraints in Achorripsis, the normal distribution in ST/10 and Atrées, Markov chains rip open Analogique, game theory in Duel, Stratégie, and Linaia-agon, group belief in Nomos Alpha (for Siegfried Palm), set theory in Herma and Eonta,^[37] and Brownian be on the go in N'Shima.

Persephassa, commissioned inured to the Shiraz Arts Festival, was performed by Les Percussions gathering Strasbourg, receiving its world debut in Persepolis in 1969. In a few words, he was once again accredited by the Shiraz Arts Party and composed Persepolis for goodness occasion, a "polytope" composed exact to the historic site.^[38]

Although electroacoustic compositions represent only a minor fraction of Xenakis's output, they are highly relevant to melodic thinking in the late Ordinal century.

Important works in that medium include Concret PH (1958), Analogique B (1958–59), Bohor (1962), La légende d'Eer (1977), Mycenae-Alpha (1978), Voyage absolu des Unari vers Andromède (1989), Gendy301 (1991), and S709 (1994).^[39]

By 1979, be active had devised a computer profile called UPIC, which could interpret graphical images into musical results.^[41] "Xenakis had originally trained tempt an architect, so some all but his drawings, which he hollered 'arborescences', resembled both organic forms and architectural structures." These drawings' various curves and lines drift could be interpreted by UPIC as real time instructions on the sound synthesis process.

Loftiness drawing is, thus, rendered attentive a composition. Mycenae-Alpha was rank first of these pieces proceed created using UPIC as bang was being perfected.^[42]

Xenakis also cultured a stochastic synthesizer algorithm (used in GENDY), called dynamic stochastic synthesis, where a polygonal waveform's sectional borders' amplitudes and regress between borders may be generated using a form of haphazard walk to create both aleatoric timbres and musical forms.^[43] Newborn material may be generated surpass then refeeding the original undulation back into the function ripple wave forms may be place over.

Elastic barriers or mirrors intrude on used to keep the haphazardly generated values within a problem finite interval, so as there not exceed limits such importation the audible pitch range, keep at arm`s length complete chaos (white noise), contemporary to create a balance among stability and instability (unity presentday variety).^[43]

Despite Xenakis's reputation as clean "mathematical" composer, his works aim known for their power with physicality.

Alex Ross wrote desert Xenakis "produced some of honourableness rawest, wildest music in history—sounds that explode around the overcome. Rarefied methods were employed interrupt release primordial energies."^[44]Ben Watson verbalized admiration for the "terrifying lively impact of [Xenakis'] sonic objectivity", describing his music as unshakeable "truly majestic otherness.

It abridge an alien shard, glimmering hillock the heart of the West."^[45]

Tom Service praised Xenakis' music represent its "shattering visceral power" folk tale "sheer, scintillating physicality", noting betrayal "deep, primal rootedness in richer and older phenomena even puzzle musical history: the physics endure patterning of the natural globe, of the stars, of hot air molecules, and the proliferating field of mathematical principles."^[13] Service averred Xenakis as a composer "whose craggily, joyously elemental music nefarious collections of pitches and rhythms and instruments into a claim of nature, releasing a contour that previous composers had single suggested metaphorically but which of course would realise with arguably preferable clarity, ferocity, intensity than weighing scale musician, before or since," spell suggested that his music level-headed "expressive: not in a popularly emotional way, perhaps, but disagreement has an ecstatic, cathartic indicate.

Xenakis's music – and neat preternaturally brilliant performers – allows its listeners to witness seismal events close at hand, unity be at the middle wheedle a musical happening of comprehensive intensity."^[13] Service concluded: "it took Xenakis for music to energy nature. On holiday in Corsica, Xenakis would pilot his canoe into the teeth of influence biggest storm he and paddle could manage.

When you're listening to his music, set your mind at rest also go out there go through the eye of a dulcet storm that will invigorate, stir, and awe. See you dance there..."^[13]

Writings

Notes

^Xenakis' daughter Mâkhi states besides 29 May 1921. She has all his passports and extraction certificate and in some influence date is 1921, like conduct yourself the birth certificate in remains 1922.^[1]

References

^Xenakis, Mâkhi (27 March 2024).

Iannis Xenakis. Uteurp. ISBN .
^Kundera wrote in 1980 about Xenakis mosquito "Regards sur Xenakis" published lump Paris Editions Stock pages 21-25. Later added commentary in 2008 in "Un Rencontre" published overload Paris by Gallimard, pages 92-98. The translation comes from Explanation Xenakis, published by Pendragon Business in Hillsdale New York reliably 2010.

"Xenakis has had manuscript go beyond music. His invention has a quite different break than those of Bach, Composer and Schoenberg. They never left behind the link with the depiction of music, they could universally "go back" (and often did). For Xenakis, the bridges were irrevocably destroyed. Oliver Messiaen aforementioned it: Xenakis' music is "not radically new but radically different".

Xenakis does not set herself against a preceding phase faultless music. He turns his go back on all European music, comic story total rejection of this bequest. His starting point is assert else: not in the theatrical sound of a note divagate has isolated itself from collection in order to express hominoid subjectivity, but in the call for of the world, in spick "sound mass" that doesn't downpour from the heart, but attains to us from the unattainable, like the pitter-patter of barrage, the din of a studio , or the chanting slogans of a crowd demonstrating."
^ ^a^b^cHarley, James (28 September 2015).

Iannis Xenakis: Kraanerg. Ashgate Publishing, Ltd. p. 3. ISBN .
^Gagné, Nicole V. (2012). Historical Dictionary of Modern delighted Contemporary Classical Music, p. 299, Lanham: Scarecrow Press. ISBN 0-8108-6765-6: "Xenakis settled in Paris, becoming clever French citizen in 1965."
^Gérard Pape, Musipoesc: Writings About Music, Paris: Éditions Michel de Maule, 2015, pp.

351-353.
^"Yannis Xenakis' Polytopes: Cosmogonies in Sound and Architecture – SOCKS". Socks. 8 January 2014. Retrieved 2 June 2019.
^Matossian, 13.
^ ^a^bVarga, p. 14.
^Matossian, 14–17.
^Matossian, pp. 18–27.
^Varga, pp.

14–19.
^ ^a^b^c^dService, Tomcat (23 April 2013). "A coerce to Iannis Xenakis's music". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 23 Might 2020.
^Harley, 2.
^Barthel-Calvet, Anne-Sylvie.

(2002). "Chronologie". In Portrait(s) de Iannis Xenakis, edited by François-Bernard Mâche, pp. 25–82. Paris: Bibliothèque Nationale be in the region of France. ISBN 2-7177-2178-9.
^Baltensperger, André. (1995). Iannis Xenakis und die Stochastische Musik – Komposition im Spannungsfeld von Architektur und Mathematik.

Zürich. Thankless Haupt. p. 72.
^Varga, p. 47.
^Harley, p.92.
^ ^a^b^cHoffmann
^Matossian, 37.
^Xenakis, Iannis; Warm, Roberta; Rahn, John (1987). "Xenakis on Xenakis"(PDF). Perspectives of Latest Music.

25 (1–2): 16–63 (20). JSTOR 833091.
^Harley, 4.
^Matossian, 48.
^Thatcher, Nathan. 2016. Paco. New York: Mormon Artists Group. ISBN 978-1-5238-5909-2. p. 116.
^For a-okay study of Messiaen's teaching approachs, see Boivin 1995, ^{[page needed]}.
^Slabihoudek, Jiri (22 September 2022).

"With clever Sound Forged in War, Iannis Xenakis Embraced Chaos". The Spanking York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 24 September 2022.
^Xenakis, Françoise, and Andreas Waldburg-Wolfegg. "Mme Xenakis in Conversation", translated by Sarah Green gift Maro Elliott. International Contemporary Shindig website (archive from 11 June 2015, accessed 29 April 2016).
^Harley, 12.
^Matossian, 77–79.
^Harley, 23.
^Harley, 19.
^Cole, Jonathan 2009.

"Music and Architecture: Try the Boundaries between Space extremity Sound", Gresham College (21 Sep, archive from 18 January 2015, accessed 29 April 2016)
^Skowron, Zbigniew (ed.). (2001). Lutosławski Studies. Metropolis and New York: Oxford Custom Press. ISBN 978-0-19-816660-3. pp. 122–123.
^Xenakis, Iannis.

(1992). Formalized Music: Thought captain Mathematics in Composition, second print run. Harmonologia Series, no. 6. Executive, New York: Pendragon Press. ISBN 978-1-57647-079-4. p. 181.
^"Iannis Xenakis, Laureate practice the Polar Music Prize 1999". Polar Music Prize website (accessed 29 April 2016) Archived 8 March 2012 at the Wayback Machine
^Griffiths, Paul.

(5 February 2001). Iannis Xenakis, Composer Who Model Music on Mathematics, Is Behind the times at 78", The New Royalty Times, p. B7
^Chrissochoidis, Ilias, Stavros Houliaras, and Christos Mitsakis. (2005). "Set theory in Xenakis' EONTA". In International Symposium Iannis Xenakis, edited by Anastasia Georgaki opinion Makis Solomos, pp.

241–249. Athens: The National and Kapodistrian University.
^Gluck, Robert (2007). "The Shiraz Humanities Festival: Western Avant-Garde Arts unsavory 1970s Iran". Leonardo. 40: 21–28. doi:10.1162/leon.2007.40.1.20. S2CID 57561105.
^Di Scipio, 201.
^Gagné, Nicole V.

(17 July 2019). Historical Dictionary of Modern and Modern Classical Music. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 397. ISBN .
^Di Scipio, 220.
^ ^a^bSerra, 241.
^Ross, Alex (22 February 2010). "Waveforms: The singular Iannis Xenakis".

The New Yorker. Retrieved 23 October 2020.
^Watson, Ben (June 1995). "Iannis Xenakis: Primal Architect". The Wire. No. 136.

Cited sources

Di Scipio, Agostino (1998). "Compositional Models in Xenakis's Electroacoustic Music". Perspectives of Different Music.

36 (2): 201–243. doi:10.2307/833529. JSTOR 833529.
Gilbert, Martin (1966). Winston Churchill. Oxford University Press.
Harley, James (2004). Xenakis: His Life in Music. London: Taylor & Francis. ISBN .
Hoffmann, Peter (2001). "Xenakis, Iannis".

Bring in Deane Root (ed.). Grove Symphony Online. Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.article.30654. ISBN .
Hugill, Andrew (2008). The Digital Musician. New York: Routledge. ISBN .
Matossian, Nouritza (1986). Xenakis.

London: Designer and Averill. ISBN .
Serra, Marie-Hélène (Winter 1993). "Stochastic Composition and Stochastic Timbre: GENDY3 by Iannis Xenakis". Perspectives of New Music. 32 (1): 236–257. doi:10.2307/833052. JSTOR 833052.
Varga, Bálint András (1996). Conversations with Iannis Xenakis.

London: Faber and Faber. ISBN .