# Getting Closer to the Essence of Music: The Con Espressione Manifesto

arXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/1611.09733 · HTML: https://mlsanity.com/paper/1611.09733/

## Key facts

- Cited by 3 papers in the map (data through 14 Oct 2026).
- First posted on arXiv 29 Nov 2016.

## Built on by (most cited first, 3 of 3)

- [Exploring Variational Auto-Encoder Architectures, Configurations, and Datasets for Generative Music Explainable AI](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2311.08336/) (2023)
- [Towards Context-Aware Neural Performance-Score Synchronisation](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2206.00454/) (2022)
- [Profy: Interpretable Visualization of Expertise-Dependent Motor Skills Toward Supporting Piano Practice](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2606.10627/) (2026)

## Abstract (arXiv)

This text offers a personal and very subjective view on the current situation of Music Information Research (MIR). Motivated by the desire to build systems with a somewhat deeper understanding of music than the ones we currently have, I try to sketch a number of challenges for the next decade of MIR research, grouped around six simple truths about music that are probably generally agreed on, but often ignored in everyday research.