Invariably, I feel like the floor has disappeared beneath me when asked what type of music I compose. Most recently, I rather desperately took to replying: "Michael Robinson music." Other possible responses are world, classical, world classical, avant-garde, computer, electronic, alternative classical, and other terms. However, I recently realized there is another phrase that may be best: vision-mathematical music. What I like about this expression is how it combines artistic and technical qualities at once without any extraneous associations, including being transcendent of time and place.

Michael Robinson's Todi is based upon a morning raga from Hindustani music.

My source comes from an interview with Bob Zimmerman Dylan heard on YouTube where he describes his songs as both vision music and mathematical music. It makes sense that he would have something profound to say about music, being the most gifted wordsmith of our time along with Helen Vendler, including an uncanny ability to cut to the heart of the matter. For a succinct portrayal of my own compositions and performances, it may be best to simply combine vision and mathematical with a hyphen.

Michael Robinson Longhi and Eli Rabinovitz Robinson playing chess on Long Island, New York. Michael's favorite notated world classical music composer is Dmitri Shostakovich and Eli's was Johannes Brahms. It was his Dad's passion for the notated world classical music of the Western Hemisphere and Russia that turned his son on to this music with both of them finding chess a fascinating if dangerous art form based upon war.

- Michael Robinson Longhi, Los Angeles, January 2018 - February 2026

Michael Eric Robinson Longhi is a Los Angeles-based composer, computer music programmer, pianist and musicologist. His over 200 albums include over 150 albums for meruvina and over 50 albums of piano improvisations both solo and with Eliot Zigmund formerly of the Bill Evans Trio and tabla player Anindo Chatterjee of India both among the greatest percussionists in recorded history. Michael has performed and lectured for churches, universities, colleges, NPR, Pacifica, college and community radio stations, high schools, elementary schools and community centers in America and all over the world online.

© 2018-2026 Michael Robinson All rights reserved