In-Between: The Microtonal Universe

[torut]

I think her piano is tuned in 12tet. I'll do a bit of research to be sure.

Sorry, you already wrote that it's 12tet. (I mistook it for 12th set of the work.)

Just Intonation is not a temperament.

JI means that each pitch is defined as a ratio of positive integer, and there exist many different temperaments that use JI. Is my understanding correct?

[7/4]

JI means that each pitch is defined as a ratio of positive integer, and there exist many different temperaments that use JI. Is my understanding correct?

I always thought a temperament is adjusting pure intervals (JI), so they're more in tune in all 12 keys.


Read the Wiki and see if it agrees with me.  I'm tired and I need to go to sleep.


In musical tuning, a temperament is a system of tuning which slightly compromises the pure intervals of just intonation in order to meet other requirements of the system.

[torut]

I always thought a temperament is adjusting pure intervals (JI), so they're more in tune in all 12 keys.


Read the Wiki and see if it agrees with me.  I'm tired and I need to go to sleep.


In musical tuning, a temperament is a system of tuning which slightly compromises the pure intervals of just intonation in order to meet other requirements of the system.

Probably you (and wikipedia) are right. I may have been confused because I saw terms such as "just scale," "just temperament," (even "just intonation temperament") together with "just intonation." I'll study further. Thanks again, and good night!

[torut]

Todd Harrop
http://thmuses.wordpress.com/

Der Zauberzephir (2011) for solo Bohlen-Pierce tenor clarinet
https://www.youtube.com/v/erE-t5m3R1g

Bohlen–Pierce scale is a non-octave scale based on the pitches of odd ratios.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bohlen%E2%80%93Pierce_scale

Fifteen Short Pieces (2012) for fifth-tone piano and delay
https://soundcloud.com/puffinwrangler/fifteen-short-pieces-for-piano
Using a symmetrical scale of 15 notes selected from a tuning of 30 equal-tempered notes per octave.

[torut]

Erling Wold

Dance of the Polygamists
http://www.erlingwold.com/works/mol/03_mol_polygamists.mp3

Crash
http://www.erlingwold.com/works/mol/13_mol_crash.mp3

Music of Love


I Weep


A nice collection of microtonal tunes in a variety of styles, for synthesizers and instruments. I like most of them very much. It seems that he is recently focusing on soundtracks and opera.

[Cato]

Many thanks for the links and introducing us to the World of Wold!       0:) 0:) 0:)   (Temptation!!!)

His website contains mention of a Latin Missa, which is interesting, given some of the things on his website ("Libertine" ?  Libertines tend not to be particularly religious, but who needs religion more than a libertine?   0:)  )

http://www.erlingwold.com/

[torut]

Wold's Missa is very beautiful. It is quite different from Music of Love or I Weep, but there are contemporary elements, sometimes sounding like film music. I have not checked out his soundtracks, and I want to do it soon. The whole recording of Missa can be downloaded from "WORKS" page of his web site. (The quality is good, they are 256kbps mp3.)

I am interested in Masses of modern/contemporary composers (I like Daniel Lentz's Missa Umbrarum a lot) and impressed with the list of many 20th/21st century composers on Wikipedia's Mass section.

[7/4]

My pleasure!

I found another interesting composer.

Mamoru Fujieda - Patterns of Plants

I like those two albums a lot. An old review.

There's a new solo piano album of this music in 12tet by Sarah Cahill.

Q2 Music Album of the Week: streaming audio

"This is actually the very first time that the music of Patterns of Plants has been recorded on the piano. On two previous recordings released on Tzadik in 1997 and 2008, Fujieda employs the koto, sho, viol de gamba, harpsichord and the violin. It is quite a fascinating approach to present these works in equal temperament. There is a great deal of beauty locked in the sonorities that transcends temperament. However, the listener will absorb the music in an entirely distinct way from other readings of Patterns of Plants."

[torut]

Q2 Music Album of the Week: streaming audio

"This is actually the very first time that the music of Patterns of Plants has been recorded on the piano. On two previous recordings released on Tzadik in 1997 and 2008, Fujieda employs the koto, sho, viol de gamba, harpsichord and the violin. It is quite a fascinating approach to present these works in equal temperament. There is a great deal of beauty locked in the sonorities that transcends temperament. However, the listener will absorb the music in an entirely distinct way from other readings of Patterns of Plants."

Thank you for the link. So, it's equal temperament. Very decent and lovely. The resemblance to Baroque music is mentioned in the article, and I was reminded of F. Couperin's keyboard works played on piano.

[torut]

Barbara Benary (b. 1946) - Sun on Snow
[asin]B000HT3RZE[/asin]
Aural Shoehorning (1997)
Sun on Snow (1985)
Barang I & II (1975)
Downtown Steel (1993)

liner notes
http://www.dramonline.org/albums/barbara-benary-sun-on-snow/notes

Aural Shoehorning (1. Plainsong)
https://www.youtube.com/v/__7AR6nCmKQ

This is a very strange piece. It starts with a nice gamelan tune, then the melody is played in different tunings at the same time on gamelan, piano, percussions. Yet it does not sound weird or eerie.

Benary was a member of Glass's ensemble and co-founder of Gamelan Son of Lion. The album Sun on Snow is the only album of her music but it presents the wonderful world of Benary's music, containing a lot of elements such as gamelan, minimalism, rock, jazz, improvisation, Indonesian modes, beautiful song, ...

[milk]

Barbara Benary (b. 1946) - Sun on Snow
[asin]B000HT3RZE[/asin]
Aural Shoehorning (1997)
Sun on Snow (1985)
Barang I & II (1975)
Downtown Steel (1993)

liner notes
http://www.dramonline.org/albums/barbara-benary-sun-on-snow/notes

Aural Shoehorning (1. Plainsong)
https://www.youtube.com/v/__7AR6nCmKQ

This is a very strange piece. It starts with a nice gamelan tune, then the melody is played in different tunings at the same time on gamelan, piano, percussions. Yet it does not sound weird or eerie.

Benary was a member of Glass's ensemble and co-founder of Gamelan Son of Lion. The album Sun on Snow is the only album of her music but it presents the wonderful world of Benary's music, containing a lot of elements such as gamelan, minimalism, rock, jazz, improvisation, Indonesian modes, beautiful song, ...

Thanks for posting. I've purchased this and am much looking forward to it. I have to admit I've had trouble with the Fujieda/Cahill. I like it but I don't love it or hate it - which makes me not like it. Shall I keep going? There are different reasons for giving up on something. Some music I find difficult and come back to later and see the light. But I wonder if the same can happen with music that just seems mediocre now. Have you ever thought something was milquetoast and later grown to think it's great? I'm really interested in the Benary and really interested in what can be done with gamelan. But I have to admit I've not yet been taken by L. Harrison so much either. But I have high hopes for Benary!

[torut]

Thanks for posting. I've purchased this and am much looking forward to it. I have to admit I've had trouble with the Fujieda/Cahill. I like it but I don't love it or hate it - which makes me not like it. Shall I keep going? There are different reasons for giving up on something. Some music I find difficult and come back to later and see the light. But I wonder if the same can happen with music that just seems mediocre now. Have you ever thought something was milquetoast and later grown to think it's great? I'm really interested in the Benary and really interested in what can be done with gamelan. But I have to admit I've not yet been taken by L. Harrison so much either. But I have high hopes for Benary!

It happened to me too often that I thought some music to be uninteresting, boring, meaningless, and after few months, or even several years later, I found it very nice and became to love it a lot. So, I no longer trust my initial impression or judgement. I hope you will enjoy Benary! I found that album when I was searching for albums of Downtown Ensemble (for Mary Jane Leach's music.)

I am also interested in contemporary music composed for gamelan. I was really fascinated by Bill Alves's music. Which works of Lou Harrison did you listen to? I have Gamelan Music and Piano Concerto (for piano tuned in well temperament), which are a bit too smooth but quite nice.

[torut]

This is a nice concert of Gamelan Son of Lion, led by Benary. It's so gentle and peaceful. I especially liked the pieces of 13:00~19:00 (falling), 35:00~43:00, and the last short piece of Lou Harrison (57:00~60:00).

https://www.youtube.com/v/k1DP6EUmD9k

[milk]

It happened to me too often that I thought some music to be uninteresting, boring, meaningless, and after few months, or even several years later, I found it very nice and became to love it a lot. So, I no longer trust my initial impression or judgement. I hope you will enjoy Benary! I found that album when I was searching for albums of Downtown Ensemble (for Mary Jane Leach's music.)

I am also interested in contemporary music composed for gamelan. I was really fascinated by Bill Alves's music. Which works of Lou Harrison did you listen to? I have Gamelan Music and Piano Concerto (for piano tuned in well temperament), which are a bit too smooth but quite nice.

Hmm...I have to check out Alves. So far I like what I've heard of the Benary album. I have this Harrison:

I'll try it again some day but "too smooth" is the reaction I had. 

[torut]

Hmm...I have to check out Alves. So far I like what I've heard of the Benary album. I have this Harrison:

I'll try it again some day but "too smooth" is the reaction I had.

Lou Harrison's music sounds so natural that it may not have as much impact as Partch's or Young's ... ?
I listened to these very fine albums of JI guitars by John Schneider. I again realized that Partch's music is really unique.

Just Guitars: Microtonal Music for Guitar
[asin]B000096JH4[/asin]
Carter Scholz: Rhythmicon I
Lou Harrison: Scenes from Nek Chand, Tandy's Tango, Cinna, Palace Music, Plaint & Variations on 'Song of Palestine', Serenado por Gitaro
Harry Partch: Letter from Hobo Pablo, December, 1942, Three Intrusions
Terry Riley: Harp of New Albion (Very nice!)
John Schneider: Lament (also included in Beyond 12; a beautiful piece)

Lou Harrison: Por Gitaro
[asin]B0012OVFUM[/asin]

The Tuning of Lou Harrison - Por Gitaro: Suites for Tuned Guitars, performed by John Schneider (Bill Alves)

Lou Harrison, Scenes from Nek Chand (2002), Played by John Schneider
https://www.youtube.com/v/sbTbgpW6s3A

[milk]

Barbara Benary (b. 1946) - Sun on Snow
[asin]B000HT3RZE[/asin]
Aural Shoehorning (1997)
Sun on Snow (1985)
Barang I & II (1975)
Downtown Steel (1993)

liner notes
http://www.dramonline.org/albums/barbara-benary-sun-on-snow/notes

Aural Shoehorning (1. Plainsong)
https://www.youtube.com/v/__7AR6nCmKQ

This is a very strange piece. It starts with a nice gamelan tune, then the melody is played in different tunings at the same time on gamelan, piano, percussions. Yet it does not sound weird or eerie.

Benary was a member of Glass's ensemble and co-founder of Gamelan Son of Lion. The album Sun on Snow is the only album of her music but it presents the wonderful world of Benary's music, containing a lot of elements such as gamelan, minimalism, rock, jazz, improvisation, Indonesian modes, beautiful song, ...

So far I like this album very much. I've just been listening to Aural Shoehorning. The way she uses gamelan with "western" instruments is surprisingly effective.   

[milk]

It happened to me too often that I thought some music to be uninteresting, boring, meaningless, and after few months, or even several years later, I found it very nice and became to love it a lot. So, I no longer trust my initial impression or judgement. I hope you will enjoy Benary! I found that album when I was searching for albums of Downtown Ensemble (for Mary Jane Leach's music.)

I am also interested in contemporary music composed for gamelan. I was really fascinated by Bill Alves's music. Which works of Lou Harrison did you listen to? I have Gamelan Music and Piano Concerto (for piano tuned in well temperament), which are a bit too smooth but quite nice.

I like the Benary until singing starts. I've persisted with Cahill's Fujieda "plants" album and finding that I'm starting to like it better and better. But the samples of the composer's microtonal version with, I think, Kotos, are so different-sounding. I wonder about how it compares and whether I should venture into that as well. 

[milk]

I felt I needed to get this. I'm starting to think that this is very interesting music indeed.

[Ken B]

Barbara Benary (b. 1946) - Sun on Snow
[asin]B000HT3RZE[/asin]
Aural Shoehorning (1997)
Sun on Snow (1985)
Barang I & II (1975)
Downtown Steel (1993)

liner notes
http://www.dramonline.org/albums/barbara-benary-sun-on-snow/notes

Aural Shoehorning (1. Plainsong)
https://www.youtube.com/v/__7AR6nCmKQ

This is a very strange piece. It starts with a nice gamelan tune, then the melody is played in different tunings at the same time on gamelan, piano, percussions. Yet it does not sound weird or eerie.

Benary was a member of Glass's ensemble and co-founder of Gamelan Son of Lion. The album Sun on Snow is the only album of her music but it presents the wonderful world of Benary's music, containing a lot of elements such as gamelan, minimalism, rock, jazz, improvisation, Indonesian modes, beautiful song, ...

Very nice. I'm intrigued.

[torut]

I felt I needed to get this. I'm starting to think that this is very interesting music indeed.

My favorites are The Fourth Collection (violin) in that second volume and The Third Collection (koto) in the first volume. Some of the collections are very melodic considering how they were created. I liked Cahill's piano version too and will purchase it.