Etymology by Henrik Strindberg is a seven-movement work written with both inspiration and support from the computer world. Strindberg himself developed wo algorithms to assist in the composition of Etymology. The work's movement itles - Switch, While, Shift, Pointers, Seed, Define NIL, Strings - are drawn from "C" jargon, a programming language useful in the creation of computer music; the composer toys with common words which have now taken on new meanings through the development of the computer: a sign of the development in the history of words - Etymology - and of usage in general. Remnants of Strindberg's rock band youth are evident in the harmonic direction, simplicity of texture, and perhaps even in the length of each movement. While is particularly dramatic in its manner of requiring humans to do what machines do best: create a pulsating effect by quickly repeating over and over a single one in a gradually modulating harmony. Etymology was commissioned by the Swedish National Radio for KammarensembleN and premiered on 5 October 1990 in a live broadcast. Text: Katherine Powers. From Phono Suecia nr 57 (1992)