In their project, ‘The Art and Science of Canon in the Music of Early 17th-Century Rome’ (ARC DP180100680, 2018-2021), Denis Collins and Jason Stoessel explore the use of computational methods—involving optical music recognition software and machine learning—to identify, classify, and trace compositional devices associated with canon from print manuscripts of the early 17th century. In the process, they discover links between experimental thought in scientific and musical arenas, respectively, as discussed by Denis in this podcast conversation. We also discuss the work of Sergi Taneyev, founder of the Russian school of music theory and music composition pedagogy, a contemporary of Schenker but largely unknown in the West. The conversation concludes with a discussion of the project’s new findings about the work of Jan Dismas Zelenka, and its new insights into Josquin des Prez in this the year of the 500th anniversary of this death.