source file: mills2.txt Date: Wed, 24 Jan 1996 21:20:52 -0800 Subject: Re: TUNING digest 613-J. Pusey's request From: puzan@pe.net (Matthew Puzan) John Pusey sez: >Can you (will you) post an abstract and table of contents for your dissertation >to the tuning list to give us a better idea of what it covers? Abstract of the Project Paper A Study of the Tonal Systems of Harry Partch, Ben Johnston, Josef Yasser, and Easley Blackwood by Matthew Davis Puzan This study presents a compendium of data on four of the most viable theories on microtonality available today. This includes detailed descriptions of four proposals on how our current system of twelve note equal temperament can be expanded to a greater number of notes per octave, and on what sort of instruments music composed in such new tunings may be performed. Further, this study demonstrates how these new intonations can be accurately notated. None of these four theories is in itself complete or foolproof. The reader must compare, edit, synthesize, and redefine these ideas. The development of a personal thesis allows one to fill in a more complete description of the process of composition with microtones. Thus, the goal of this study is to provide the reader with the necessary information which would allow the informed selection of those elements needed to begin the development of a process of composing in an expanded tonality. This paper is organized as follows: Part 1-Tuning Systems. Two systems of extended just intonation and two systems of extended equal temperament are described and evaluated; Part 2-Instruments. Many new instruments have been constructed as well as modification or adaptation of traditional instruments have taken place in order to accommodate various extended tonalities. Four different approaches are examined; Part 3-Notation. Four proposed systems for notating a more discrete tonality than 12-note equal are evaluated; Part 4-Conclusions. These four major sections are followed by a glossary of microtonal terms and a bibliography. Received: from eartha.mills.edu [144.91.3.20] by vbv40.ezh.nl with SMTP-OpenVMS via TCP/IP; Thu, 25 Jan 1996 20:19 +0100 Received: from by eartha.mills.edu via SMTP (940816.SGI.8.6.9/930416.SGI) for id LAA10933; Thu, 25 Jan 1996 11:19:29 -0800 Date: Thu, 25 Jan 1996 11:19:29 -0800 Message-Id: <9601251116.aa21978@cyber.cyber.net> Errors-To: madole@ella.mills.edu Reply-To: tuning@eartha.mills.edu Originator: tuning@eartha.mills.edu Sender: tuning@eartha.mills.edu