Bach to the future: AI turns Google Doodle into clever melody maker

By Zayneb Benyoucef, news reporter

Google has celebrated legendary composer Johann Sebastian Bach by creating the first-ever Doodle to be powered by artificial intelligence (AI).

The animation, which sits atop of the search engine’s website, shows the 18th-century composer playing an organ – commemorating his day of birth on 21 March 1685.

In an interactive twist, the Google Doodle encourages users to compose their own two-measure melody.

Machine learning is then used to “harmonise the custom melody into Bach’s signature music style”.

Bach’s chorales were known for having four voices carrying their own melodic line.

To develop the AI-powered Google Doodle, the tech giant’s developers created a machine-learning model that was trained on 306 of Bach’s chorale harmonisations.

Another team worked to allow machine learning to occur within the web browser instead of on its servers.

In another intriguing detail, Google has said some users will be able to do an 80s rock number “if they happen to find a very special Easter egg in the Doodle”.

Bach was a German classical composer of the Baroque period, and grew up in a large musical family.

His reputation soared in the 19th century as the music world gained new appreciation for his innovative use of four-part harmony.