Common Music (CM) is an algorithmic composition software system by Heinrich Taube.
CM produces sound by transforming a metalevel representation of music into a variety of different protocols for controlling sound production and display.
In general, one does not "synthesize" audio signals with CM. Rather, CM is used to control other sound producing software or hardware.
CM can produce MIDI output or files formatted for a variety of sound synthesis programs.
CM provides a set of utilities that run in a Lisp programming language environment (interpreter).
CM expressions are evaluated by a Lisp interpreter (or "listener") to produce desired output data or files.
Users of CM typically write script files that can include any common Lisp functions as well as those written for CM.
Because of variations in Lisp implementations and "dialects", one should know some basics about the particular Lisp environment being used.
CM scripts are now created, edited, and executed from within the Grace application.