A MICROWORLD APPROACH TO THE FORMALIZATION OF MUSICAL KNOWLEDGE

This paper is about the importance of applying computational modeling and artificial intelligence techniques to music cognition and computer music research. The construction of microworlds as a methodology play s a key role in the different stages of this research. Several uses of microworlds are described. Microworlds have been criticized in the do mains of artificial intelligence and the cognitive sciences, but this critique has to be seen in its proper context (i.e. in modeling of hum an intelligence, not as a methodology). It is shown that the microworl d approach is still an important methodology in music cognition and co mputer music research, and a promising strategy in the design of a gen eral representation formalism of musical knowledge.