What is music, Wolfram|Alpha?

You may have heard of the new “knowledge engine” called Wolfram|Alpha. Billed as a step above the search engine, Wolfram|Alpha–which enjoyed its public debut this morning–delivers answers to queries directly, rather than pointing users to websites that then, in theory, answer their questions.

According to its website, “Our goal is to accept completely free-form input, and to serve as a knowledge engine that generates powerful results and presents them with maximum clarity.”

With high hopes, then ChordStrike sat down with Wolfram|Alpha for the engine’s first music interview. The following is edited from an hour-long interview that took place this morning. For a full-length interview, try it yourself…

ChordStrike: How old is Keith Richards?

Wolfram|Alpha: 65 years 5 months

ChordStrike: So far, so good, Wolfram|Alpha. Who wrote “Once in a Lifetime”?



Wolfram|Alpha: Once in a Lifetime: The Extraordinary Story of the New York Cosmos
Result: John Dower | Mark Monroe
Basic information: Paul Crowder (co-director) | John Dower (co-director)
Release date | July 7, 2006 (3 years ago)
Runtime | 97 minutes (1 hour 37 minutes)
Writers | John Dower | Mark Monroe; genres | documentary | sport
Box office total | $ 144601 (US dollars) (unadjusted)

ChordStrike: Sorry, but we were looking for the Talking Heads. Turning to musicals, then, how far is it from Oklahoma to Chicago?



Wolfram|Alpha: 683.7 miles

ChordStrike: Accurate and precise! OK, smarty pants, what is Mariah Carey’s best song?



Wolfram|Alpha: Wolfram|Alpha isn’t sure what to do with your input.

ChordStrike: No problem. The question doesn’t make any sense to us, either. When did Thelonius Monk die?



Wolfram|Alpha: February 17, 1982
Daylight information for February 17, 1982 in Seattle, Washington:
sunrise | 7:12 am PST
sunset | 5:36 pm PST
duration of daylight | 10 hours 24 minutes
waning crescent moon

ChordStrike: Whoa, TMI! So you like jazz, do you? What are the 100 Greatest Jazz Albums of All Time?




Wolfram|Alpha: Wolfram|Alpha isn’t sure what to do with your input.

ChordStrike: That’s OK. We have the list right here. Finally, we understand you have a pretty busy day ahead of you, but one more question: What is music?





Wolfram|Alpha: music (English word)
Definitions:Show examples
Noun: activity | musical activity (singing or whistling etc.)
punishment | punishment for one’s actions
euphony | any agreeable (pleasing and harmonious) sounds
auditory sensation | (music) the sounds produced by singers or musical instruments (or reproductions of such sounds)
auditory communication | an artistic form of auditory communication incorporating instrumental or vocal tones in a structured and continuous manner
(5 meanings)
Word origins: Old French | Classical Latin | Greek
first recorded use: 1250 (759 years ago)
Typical word frequency: written | 1/6300 (rank: 593rd) 100% noun
spoken | 1/13000 (rank: 884th) 100% noun
(based on the 100-million-word British National Corpus
Pronunciation: (my’oozik)

ChordStrike: Wow. Well, thanks for speaking with us today.

Wolfram|Alpha: Wolfram|Alpha isn’t sure what to do with your input.

[How rude!]

     –Jason Kirk