maldv/crabcanon · Datasets at Hugging Face

text stringlengths 0 174

Crab: I improvise quite a bit. In fact, sometimes I think about devoting my full time to
music. There is so much to learn about it For instance, when I listen to playbacks of
myself, I find that there is a lot there that I wasn't aware of when improvising it. I
really have no idea how my mind does it all. Perhaps being a good improviser is
incompatible with knowing how one does it.

Author: If true, that would be an interesting and fundamental limitation on thought
processes.

Crab: Quite Godelian, Tell me -does your Six-Part Rice rear Dialogue attempt to copy in
fonn the Bach piece it's based on?

Author: In many ways, yes. For instance, in the Bach, there’s a section where the texture
thins out to three voices only. I imitate that in the

Dialogue, by having only three characters interact for a while. Achilles: That's a nice
touch.

Author: Thank you.

Crab: And how do you represent the King's Theme in your Dialogue?

Author: It is represented by the Crab's Theme, as I shall now demonstrate. Mr. Crab,
could you sing your Theme f or my readers, as well as f or us assembled musicians?

Crab: Compose Ever Greater Artificial Brains (By And By).

Babbage: Well, I’ll be-an EXQUISITE Theme! I'm pleased you tacked on that last little
parenthetical note; it is a mordant Author: He Simply HAD to, you know.

Crab: I simply HAD to. He knows.

Babbage: You simply HAD to-I know. In any case, it is a mordant commentary on the
impatience and arrogance of modern man, who seems to imagine that the implications
of such a right royal Theme could be worked out on the spot. Whereas, in my opinion,
to do justice to that Theme might take a full hundred years-if not longer. But I vow
that after taking my leave of this century, I shall do my best to realize it in full; and I
shall offer to your Crabness the fruit of my labors in the next. I might add, rather
immodestly, that the course through which I shall arrive at it will be the most
entangled and perplexed which probably ever will occupy the human mind.

Crab: I am most delighted to anticipate the form of your proposed Offering, Mr.
Babbage.

Turing: I might add that Mr. Crab's Theme is one of MY favorite Themes, as well. I've
worked on it many times. And that Theme is exploited over and over in the final
Dialogue?

Author: Exactly. There are other Themes which enter as well, of course. Turing: Now we
understand something of the form of your book-but what about its content? What does
that involve, if you can summarize it?

Author: Combining Escher, Godel, And Bach, Beyond All Belief. Achilles: I would like
to know how to combine those three. They seem an
unlikely threesome, at first thought. My favorite artist, Mr. T’s favorite composer, and-

Crab: My favorite logician!

Tortoise: A harmonious triad. I'd say.

Babbage: A major triad. I’d say.

Turing: A minor triad. I’d say.

Author: I guess it all depends on how you look at it. But major or minor, I’d be most
pleased to tell you how I braid the three together, Achilles. #f course, this project is
not the kind of thing that one does in just one sitting-it might take a couple of dozen
sessions. I’d begin by- telling you the story of the Musical Offering , stressing the
Endlessly Rising Canon, and

Achilles: #h, wonderful! I was listening with fascination to you and Mr. Crab talk about
the Musical #ffering and its story. From the way you two talk about it, I get the
impression that the .Musical Offering contains a host of formal structural tricks.

Author: After describing the Endlessly Rising Canon, I'd go on to describe formal
systems and recursion, getting in some comments about figures and grounds, too.
Then we’d come to self-reference and self-replication, and wind up with a discussion
of hierarchical systems and the Crab’s Theme.

Achilles: That sounds most promising. Can we begin tonight?

Author: Why not?

Babbage: But before we begin, wouldn’t it be nice if the six of us-all of us by chance avid
amateur musicians-sat down together and accomplished the original purpose of the
evening: to make music?

Turing: Now we are exactly the right number to play the Six-Part Ricercar from the
Musical Offering. What do you say to that?

Crab: I could get along veiy well with such a program.

Author: Well put, Mr. C. And as soon as we’re finished. I'll begin my Braid, Achilles. I
think you'll enjoy it.

Achilles: Wonderful! It sounds as if there are many levels to it, but I’m finally getting
used to that kind of thing, having known Mr. T for so long. There's just one request I
would like to make: could we also play the Endlessly Rising Canon? It's my favorite
canon.

Crab: I improvise quite a bit. In fact, sometimes I think about devoting my full time to

music. There is so much to learn about it For instance, when I listen to playbacks of

myself, I find that there is a lot there that I wasn't aware of when improvising it. I

really have no idea how my mind does it all. Perhaps being a good improviser is

incompatible with knowing how one does it.

Author: If true, that would be an interesting and fundamental limitation on thought

processes.

Crab: Quite Godelian, Tell me -does your Six-Part Rice rear Dialogue attempt to copy in

fonn the Bach piece it's based on?

Author: In many ways, yes. For instance, in the Bach, there’s a section where the texture

thins out to three voices only. I imitate that in the

Dialogue, by having only three characters interact for a while. Achilles: That's a nice

touch.

Author: Thank you.

Crab: And how do you represent the King's Theme in your Dialogue?

Author: It is represented by the Crab's Theme, as I shall now demonstrate. Mr. Crab,

could you sing your Theme f or my readers, as well as f or us assembled musicians?

Crab: Compose Ever Greater Artificial Brains (By And By).

Babbage: Well, I’ll be-an EXQUISITE Theme! I'm pleased you tacked on that last little

parenthetical note; it is a mordant Author: He Simply HAD to, you know.

Crab: I simply HAD to. He knows.

Babbage: You simply HAD to-I know. In any case, it is a mordant commentary on the

impatience and arrogance of modern man, who seems to imagine that the implications

of such a right royal Theme could be worked out on the spot. Whereas, in my opinion,

to do justice to that Theme might take a full hundred years-if not longer. But I vow

that after taking my leave of this century, I shall do my best to realize it in full; and I

shall offer to your Crabness the fruit of my labors in the next. I might add, rather

immodestly, that the course through which I shall arrive at it will be the most

entangled and perplexed which probably ever will occupy the human mind.

Crab: I am most delighted to anticipate the form of your proposed Offering, Mr.

Babbage.

Turing: I might add that Mr. Crab's Theme is one of MY favorite Themes, as well. I've

worked on it many times. And that Theme is exploited over and over in the final

Dialogue?

Author: Exactly. There are other Themes which enter as well, of course. Turing: Now we

understand something of the form of your book-but what about its content? What does

that involve, if you can summarize it?

Author: Combining Escher, Godel, And Bach, Beyond All Belief. Achilles: I would like

to know how to combine those three. They seem an

unlikely threesome, at first thought. My favorite artist, Mr. T’s favorite composer, and-

Crab: My favorite logician!

Tortoise: A harmonious triad. I'd say.

Babbage: A major triad. I’d say.

Turing: A minor triad. I’d say.

Author: I guess it all depends on how you look at it. But major or minor, I’d be most

pleased to tell you how I braid the three together, Achilles. #f course, this project is

not the kind of thing that one does in just one sitting-it might take a couple of dozen

sessions. I’d begin by- telling you the story of the Musical Offering , stressing the

Endlessly Rising Canon, and

Achilles: #h, wonderful! I was listening with fascination to you and Mr. Crab talk about

the Musical #ffering and its story. From the way you two talk about it, I get the

impression that the .Musical Offering contains a host of formal structural tricks.

Author: After describing the Endlessly Rising Canon, I'd go on to describe formal

systems and recursion, getting in some comments about figures and grounds, too.

Then we’d come to self-reference and self-replication, and wind up with a discussion

of hierarchical systems and the Crab’s Theme.

Achilles: That sounds most promising. Can we begin tonight?

Author: Why not?

Babbage: But before we begin, wouldn’t it be nice if the six of us-all of us by chance avid

amateur musicians-sat down together and accomplished the original purpose of the

evening: to make music?

Turing: Now we are exactly the right number to play the Six-Part Ricercar from the

Musical Offering. What do you say to that?

Crab: I could get along veiy well with such a program.

Author: Well put, Mr. C. And as soon as we’re finished. I'll begin my Braid, Achilles. I

think you'll enjoy it.

Achilles: Wonderful! It sounds as if there are many levels to it, but I’m finally getting

used to that kind of thing, having known Mr. T for so long. There's just one request I

would like to make: could we also play the Endlessly Rising Canon? It's my favorite

canon.