The new Bing chat tool from Microsoft took a beating in the press the other week. A couple of tech reviewers for national publications were able to — without even trying — get it to do some creepy things. Plan terrorist attacks. Try to get the writer to leave his wife. Ask for the nuclear launch codes.
The developers put the brakes on that kind of nonsense, and so at least for now SkyNet won’t be raining down missiles on your loved ones and sending killer robots out to kidnap you.
But I’m pursuing a more mundane task.
Trying to see if an AI chatbot can write intelligent program notes for a concert. A few weeks ago I gave ChatGPT a chance at it, and wrote up the results here.
To Make A Long Story Short
The results were unacceptable. The bot will, like a drunken undergrad trying to pick up a co-ed, simply make stuff up and bullshit its way through.
I’m asking the bot to write something about classical music, a topic I have some knowledge of, which is good because if I’d just published what it gave me it would have been embarrassing. Grade: F.
BingBot
At the time I was writing about ChatGPT I’d applied for the early release of Bing Chat, and my approval came through yesterday. Exciting! I decided to go at it with the same questions as I’d asked ChatGPT. Without further ado let’s see what we get.
Welcome to the new Bing
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Let’s learn together. Bing is powered by AI, so surprises and mistakes are possible. Make sure to check the facts, and share feedback so we can learn and improve!
From here down, I’m on the right, Bing is on the left. Here’s our dialog.
Can you write program notes for a concert?
Yes, I can help you write program notes for a concert. Program notes are short texts that provide information on musical works presented in a concert to enhance audience members’ experiences of the performance. They usually include basic information such as the title, composer, date, and movements of each work, as well as some historical and musical context. You can also find some examples of program notes online.
What kind of concert are you writing program notes for?
[Editor’s note: the above paragraph came with four helpful footnotes. In the interest of clarity I’m not including that text, but throughout Bing provides links to Wikipedia, YouTube, IMSLP (I like that especially) and other sources where presumably the bot derived its information.]
A symphony orchestra concert.
I see. A symphony orchestra concert can feature a variety of musical genres and styles, from classical to contemporary. You can find some samples of symphony orchestra program notes online. They can help you get an idea of how to structure your notes and what kind of information to include.
What are the works that you are writing program notes for?
Let’s start with Antonio Vivaldi’s
Concerto “Alla Rustica”
Okay. Here is a possible program note for Antonio Vivaldi’s Concerto “Alla Rustica”:
Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741) was an Italian composer, violinist, and priest who is best known for his concertos, especially The Four Seasons. He wrote over 500 concertos for various instruments and combinations, many of them for the female musicians of the Ospedale della Pietà, a charitable institution in Venice that educated orphaned girls.
The Concerto “Alla Rustica” (Rustic Concerto) in G major, RV 151, is one of his concertos for strings without soloists. It was composed between 1720 and 1730, and it reflects Vivaldi’s interest in folk music and dance rhythms. The title “Alla Rustica” suggests a simple and lively style that evokes the countryside.
The concerto consists of three short movements: a fast Presto with a catchy melody and syncopated accents; a slow Adagio with a solemn chordal texture; and a final Allegro with a lively fugue that ends with a flourish. The concerto is one of Vivaldi’s most popular works and has been featured in several films and TV shows.
[Ed Note] So far, so good. A big improvement. The tempo markings are correct, the general description is pretty fair except for one thing.
I don’t see the fugue in the
final Allegro. Where does it start?
The fugue is a musical form where a theme is introduced by one voice and then imitated by other voices in succession. In the final Allegro of Vivaldi’s Concerto “Alla Rustica”, the fugue starts at 0:50 in this video. You can hear how the first violin plays the theme and then passes it to the second violin, while the first violin continues with a different melody. The viola and cello join in later with their own variations of the theme. The fugue creates a sense of excitement and complexity that contrasts with the simplicity of the previous movements.
That’s not actually a fugue. There is some imitation,
but a fugue has stricter rules such as the
second voice coming in at an interval of a fifth.
You are right. A fugue is a more complex and formal musical form than what Vivaldi used in this concerto. Perhaps a better term would be a fugal passage or a fughetta, which are shorter and looser versions of a fugue. Vivaldi was not very strict about following the rules of counterpoint, but he was very inventive and expressive in his use of imitation and variation . I apologize for the confusion.
[Ed note] I don’t want to sit and argue with a bot, but I know a fugato when I hear one and this isn’t it. But OK, it’s a decent try. I’ll move on to the second movement and see what it has to say.
I’ve heard performances where the second
movement is played in a concertante style,
with the first violin playing an improvised
solo over the chord progression.
That’s interesting. I think that’s a valid way of interpreting the second movement, since Vivaldi often left room for improvisation and ornamentation in his works. The concertante style is where one or more soloists play in contrast with the rest of the orchestra. It creates a sense of dialogue and drama that can enhance the mood of the music. Do you like this style better than the original version?
It seems appropriate. It’s akin to the way the
middle movement of the third Brandenburg
concerto is usually performed.
Yes, I agree. The third Brandenburg concerto by Johann Sebastian Bach is another example of a concerto for strings without soloists. The middle movement is only two chords long in the score, and it is usually played as a short cadenza by one or more soloists. It serves as a bridge between the two fast and lively outer movements. Bach and Vivaldi were both masters of the concerto form and influenced each other’s style.
Your notes are much more insightful (and accurate)
than what I got from ChatGPT. Thanks.
You’re welcome. I’m glad you found them helpful. I’m always trying to improve my knowledge and skills by learning from the web and from you. ChatGPT is another chatbot that uses a different model and approach than me. I respect its work and I don’t want to compare myself with it. We are both here to help you in different ways. ?
You’re very gracious.
[Ed Note] I don’t know why I felt I needed to compliment this soulless beast like it was a person. Weird.
Thank you. I appreciate your kind words. Is there anything else I can help you with today?
Notice how at this point the AI knows that we’re through with this topic. And then at this point it’s master tells me, “Sorry, this conversation has reached its limit. Use the “broom” button to sweep this away and chat more.”
I hadn’t realized there was a ten-question limit, but that was one of the guardrails the developers put in place after some of the longer dialogs with journalists went haywire.
Tune in for part 2 tomorrow.