Rhapsody of Genetics

Our Vision

What if you could hear your DNA?

Rhapsody of Genetics is a creative collaboration between a music composer and a computational biologist, designed to translate the silent code of life into an immersive musical experience.

Rather than simple sonification, we built an algorithmic system where complex sounds, instrumentation, and rhythm are dictated by the physical and biochemical properties of your genes.

12

Pitch Classes

36

Instruments

21

Rhythms

Why It Matters

Identity
Genetics encodes the fundamental blueprint of life. Your genetic profile is a major component of who you are.
Accessibility
Complex genetic data is often abstract. Music makes it intuitively perceivable for general audiences.
Artistic Expression
Creating a "musical signature" for specific genes allows for a deeply personal connection to biology.

The Methodology

Our Unique System

Our algorithm maps the physical and biochemical properties of DNA and amino acids directly to musical parameters—creating complex, orchestral sounds.

Molecular Weight

Instrumentation Mapping

36 instruments are assigned to DNA bases according to their molecular weights, creating rich, layered orchestral textures.

Lighter Bases

A, C → Flute, Woodwinds

Higher-pitched, lighter timbre

Heavier Bases

G, T → Tuba, Brass

Deeper, denser sound

A Adenine 135.13 g/mol

T Thymine 126.11 g/mol

C Cytosine 111.10 g/mol

G Guanine 151.13 g/mol

Thermal Stability

Harmonic Structure

12 pitch classes are artistically assigned to base pairs based on their thermal stability—the energy required to break the hydrogen bonds between them.

A / T Pair 2 Hydrogen Bonds

Shared pitch classes

G / C Pair 3 Hydrogen Bonds

Shared pitch classes

🎹

Pitch Selection

Pitch assignments mirror the thermal energy required to break base pair bonds—creating harmonic relationships rooted in chemistry.

Hydropathy Index

Rhythm & Percussion Mapping

21 unique rhythms

We used the Hydropathy Index (amino acids' water affinity) to determine rhythmic texture. Water-loving (hydrophilic) amino acids inspire smooth, flowing rhythms, while water-repelling (hydrophobic) amino acids create more static, crisp percussion patterns.

Each of the 21 amino acids is mapped to a unique percussion instrument and rhythmic pattern. The instrument selection reflects the amino acid's water affinity—from flowing vibraphone patterns for hydrophilic residues to sharp woodblock hits for hydrophobic ones.

Percussion instruments selected by Trevor Maliborski based on acoustic properties matching the chemical nature of each amino acid.

🥁

Percussion

🎵

Rhythm

Illustration

The First Genetic Music Browser

Our web browser turns genomic sequences into full orchestral scores using property-based mapping — molecular weight selects instruments, thermal stability sets pitch classes, and amino-acid hydropathy drives rhythm and percussion across 36 instruments.

Choose Your Gene

$Genetic Music Browser - Gene Selection$

Playback Mode

Explore the Genetic Music Browser

Browse 12 featured genes from humans and Drosophila — each with MuseScore-rendered orchestral audio, an interactive sheet-music score, and a synchronized genome viewer. Play, seek, and watch DNA bases, amino acids, and musical measures move together in real time.

Launch Browser

More Features on the Way

The Genetic Music Browser is actively under development. Upcoming features include multi-track gene expression overlays that layer RNA-seq data directly onto the musical score, letting you hear how gene activity shifts across tissues or conditions. Additional planned tracks cover chromatin accessibility, protein abundance, and more—turning a single gene into a full biological symphony.

Demo

The Melody of Speech: FOXP2

As a prototype, we sonified the human FOXP2 gene — often called the "language gene." Watch how our algorithmic composition system transforms genetic sequence into orchestral music.

Demo Video

Real-time parsing of the FOXP2 genetic sequence into audio with synchronized visualization.

Presentation

Where We Have Shared This Work

Rhapsody of Genetics has been orally presented at interdisciplinary arts and genetics research conferences.

About Us

The Innovators

Siyuan Feng

Computational Biologist

PhD Candidate at UW-Madison. Siyuan developed the algorithms and the web-based browser that automatically produce sheet music and audio from genomic sequences. He bridges the gap between genetic data and musical notation at an unprecedented scale.