source file: mills2.txt
Date: Fri, 23 Feb 1996 23:19:31 -0800

Subject: Re: In the Mood?

From: puzan@pe.net (Matthew Puzan)

Thanks to all who responded to my query regarding mood and temperament. I
think Gary and Johnny are on to what I had intended with the question.
Paul's comments seem to be focussed on an idea of mode rather than mood.
Certainly, every temperament will contain various modes (some recognizable,
some not), but which of these modes is most effective within a particular
temperament contributes to its overall mood. Obviously, a tuning with great
minor thirds and lousy major thirds will inspire compositions that exploit
this fact. Thus, a temperament can be defined by its aesthetic parameters
and I'm sure it is only a matter of time before these parameters are
universally recognized and labeled.

Is this a bad thing? No way! The main reason we are able to generate
complex musical designs is aural memory. Because 12-tet has been pounded
into our brains since we were knee high to a grasshopper, we have an exact
aural memory of every sound this temperamnent can produce. We can organize
complex musical components in our heads because we already know what they
sound like and what they metaphorically convey to our audience. If we want
to compose pieces that demonstrate particular moods, there are very
well-defined aspects of 12-tet that we will emphasize over others to
produce the desired effects and we don't need to hear it to confirm our
intentions. This reaches to the heart of the frustrations associated with
Xenharmonic composition. Without an aural memory of the sounds, and thus
aesthetic implications inherent to a particular temperament, we are forced
to simply plunk down the notes and take what we get. It seems the tail is
wagging the dog here. As a composer, I delight in my ability to manipulate
sounds to effect a carefully controlled mood, but this is only accomplished
through the metaphorical power of established aesthetic parameters. What
metaphors to psychological attributes are (or can be) established by
tunings other than 12-tet? Unfortunately, these definitions can only be
made through exposure, and this sets up a "chicken and the egg" situation:
We need a universal aesthetic to effectively communicate artistic ideals,
but we need to effectively communicate artistic ideals to establish a
universal aesthetic. So it is really up to us, a vanguard group of
composers, performers and theorists who are willing to (initially)
sacrifice communicative efficacy for the sake of clarifying the idiom of a
new musical resource.
--Matt



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