source file: mills2.txt Date: Mon, 9 Sep 1996 06:13:01 -0700 Subject: Instruments in 1/4 tone From: Franck Jedrzejewski In TD 823, John Chalmers asked me if Ivan Wyschnegradsky used trumpet or clarinet in 1/4 tone ? Unfortunately, IW has not used trumpet or clarinet in 1/4 tone. IW composed with traditional instruments. The most "unusual" instruments are Ondes Martenot or Balalaika (opus 27). He has learned to play Balalaika when he was in Russia, with a gardener, beside the "watch" of his mother (That's what he said in his memories- unpublished). IW have leaved St Petersbourg the 9 march 1920 with his family. In his work, he used violin (with 1/3, 1/4, 1/6, 1/8 ton - e.g. Opus 6), cello (with 1/3, 1/4, and 1/6 tone - e.g. Opus 7), pianos (with 1/4, 1/3, 1/6 and 1/12 tone - many many opus), string quartet (with 1/4 tones), Ondes Martenot and a piece for Adriaan Fokker 's organ in 31-tet). In 1920, IW wanted to build a piano in 1/4-tones. He went to the Pleyel factory in Paris. They decided to build a piano with "transmission pneumatique". In 1921, IW received this piano. But he was not satisfied. He want a "real piano" in 1/4 tone (He said "real" piano in his memories). He asked Straube factory to build for him a Moelledorf's harmonium and decided to go to Germany. In Germany, (where he stay from 25 january 1922 to 10 february) he met W. Moellendorf, R. Stein, A. Haba and J. Mager. They discussed how to make a 1/4-tone piano. IW returned in Germany and stayed a long time (26 July 1922- 4 april 1923). He met Grotian-Steinweg factory and August Foerster factory. The Grotian-Steinweg factory was ready to build a new instrument but they and IW was not agree on how to make it. So, when IW came back in France on April 1923, no instrument were planed. Alois Haba, who leaved in Germany, met Gehrard F"orster, and decided to build a 1/4-tone piano with 3 manuals as IW highly recommanded it. In 1924, Alois Haba had his new instrument. Latter, in 1927, IW asked Foerster to build a 1/4-tone piano. In 1929 the piano arrived to Paris. (It is now in the Museum at La Vilette, Cite des Sciences et de la Musique, Paris). IW had made many experiments on his piano but in 1936 he thought that it was better to tune two pianos (one normally, the second a 1/4 tone higher) to produce quarter tones three pianos (one normally, a piano a 1/3 tone higher, another piano a 1/3 tone lower) to produce 1/3 tone, and so on... for 1/6 and 1/12 tones. At that time, he revised all his scores and writed again his scores for n-pianos. He thought that it was more easily to have a specific tuning on a traditionnal piano than to move a 1/4-tone piano (which need to be tuned again). After 1936, IW never think of new instruments in 1/n - tones. In his writings, he said that the problem of instruments factory will be solved by a new concept the "instrument mecanique". He writed music for the instruments of his friends. Some piece for the Julian Carrillo pianos (opus 44 and 48) and a piece for the Adriaan Fokker's organ in 1959 (opus 42). Julian Carrillo (1875-1965) had made 15 "pianos metamorfoseadores" : One in 1/3-tone, another in 1/4-tone, another in 1/5-tone,etc... a last one in 1/16-tone. These pianos are a traditionnal pianos but some strings are changed in order to be able to have a tuning in 1/3, 1/4, ... 1/16 tone. In 1/16, you have only one octave tune in 1/16-tone. The pianos have been build by the Sauter Compagny and was exposed in Paris in 1955 and in Bruxelles (Belgian) at the Exposition Universelle in 1958. You could see this pianos in Mexico. JC had given the 1/3-tone piano and the 1/16-tone piano to Jean-Etienne Marie. They are at the Cite des Sciences. Martine Joste and Sylvaine Billier played on this pianos. At the opposite, Alois Haba dreamed of a new orchestra with new 1/n-tones instruments. In 1924, AH asked the Kohlert factory to build for him three clarinet in 1/4-tones on a design of Richard Stein. He used clarinet in 1/4-tone in opus 24 : Suite # 1, for 1/4-tone clarinet and piano, 1925 opus 35 : Die Mutter Opera, 1929-1930 opus 55 : Suite, for 1/4-tone clarinet, 1943 AH also contacted Friedrich A. Heckel Factory (at Dresde) and asked them to build 2 trompets in 1/4-tone with chromatic valves. He used this trompett in : opus 56 : Suite, pour trompette et trombone, 1943 AH has also asked for a 1/4-tone guitar. He used it in : opus 51 : Kinderstimmingen, 8 compositions for voice and guitar, 1938-1942 opus 53 : Poesie des Lebens, 12 lieder for soprano and guitar, 1943 opus 54 : Suite for guitar, 1943 opus 63 : Suite for guitar, 1946 In 1939, Foerster had build a 1/6-tone harmonium. He had write his opus 37 before to have this instrument : opus 37 : Sechs Kompositionen, for 1/6-tone harmonium, 1929-1930. Also, AH used traditionnal instruments (violin, alto, cello and contrebasse) to produce micro-intervals. In particular, the opus 98 String quartet # 16 was written for 1/5-tone in 1967. (AH had written no other piece in 30-tet). The AH Instruments are at Prague. You could see some pictures in the Sigrun Schneider 's book. --franck Received: from ns.ezh.nl [137.174.112.59] by vbv40.ezh.nl with SMTP-OpenVMS via TCP/IP; Mon, 9 Sep 1996 15:38 +0200 Received: by ns.ezh.nl; (5.65v3.2/1.3/10May95) id AA31612; Mon, 9 Sep 1996 15:39:59 +0200 Received: from eartha.mills.edu by ns (smtpxd); id XA31476 Received: from by eartha.mills.edu via SMTP (940816.SGI.8.6.9/930416.SGI) for id GAA29370; Mon, 9 Sep 1996 06:39:56 -0700 Date: Mon, 9 Sep 1996 06:39:56 -0700 Message-Id: <009A81ECE1F78100.2123@vbv40.ezh.nl> Errors-To: madole@ella.mills.edu Reply-To: tuning@eartha.mills.edu Originator: tuning@eartha.mills.edu Sender: tuning@eartha.mills.edu