source file: mills2.txt Date: Thu, 17 Apr 1997 01:01:35 -0700 Subject: Concerted effort, and compose yourself! From: "Jonathan M. Szanto" Wow... you're all still here! left,left,left,leftI mean, I know that: I've just been lurking... --------------- Ed Foote asked: > Where are the really good 500-600 seat recital halls in this country? > It is important that the hall be suitable for a music school, i.e., all >kinds of instruments and voice, plus piano. > > I would appreciate any suggestions. They may send me to look at some of >these, so I would like to start with recommendations from those possessed of >the critical listening (thus the addresses on this mini-spam). The tuning >list can delve into such small increments of musical scale, surely that is a >group of people that really listen. Good question - especially since the good 'ol US-of-A isn't known for great chamber music size halls. People on the East Coast would probably have a better take on it. I did just recently, through a high-end audio friend, see an article about the following: "Concert and Opera Halls: How They Sound" by Leo L. Beranek, 1996: The Acoustical Society of America, ISBN 1-56396-530-5 $49.95; at bookstores or call 800-809-2247 Chapter subjects include: Acoustics and Music; Seeking A Common Language For Musicians And Acousticians; World Concert Halls Ranked According To Acoustic Quality; etc. The author is no punk: Harvard Dr., awards from many acoustics societies, supervised the acoustic design of the UN General Assembly back in 1947, etc. The current issue of BBC Music magazine has an interesting, if much more superficial, article on concert halls, more on the large side... Me? Hey, no comparison: Wigmore Hall in London. Just heard a mixed-ensemble chamber music concert there in January - absolute heaven for listening and a real treat for the performers to play there as well. I doubt the school will pop for the marble walls, but the dimensions and layout of the room can't be beat. C'mon Ed - get 'em to send you on a junket across the pond! -------------------------------------------------------------------- Later, Adam Silverman disturbed the electrons to form the following: >From this I can only assume that Drummond is not familiar with >the opera of Richard Strauss, the play of Oscar Wilde, the biblical source, >etc. How embarrassing! Very, if true. Assumptions are, eh, risky, no? >Overall, the CD is worth buying for Elizabeth Brown's piece. As for >Newband's future, I hope that an effort will be made to better acquaint >composers with the tuning concepts inherent in JI instruments as well as >the playing techniques involved. The work by LeBaron (as well as Julia >Wolfe's "Steam," not included here) exhibits a shallow relationship with >Partch's instruments; if Newband continues to commission new music from >established composers, this issue must be dealt with. Once it is, perhaps >they will establish themselves as a good force in bringing Just Intonation >music to the common composer. Agreed, on the success/non-success of the venture so far. I recall one *very* dismal 'collaboration' in San Diego years ago, with the instruments ending up being so much 'ear candy'. Ugh. That said, I wouldn't hold my breath. I know for a fact, having been (to a degree, naturally) a composer myself that my attempts to harness the possibilities of the Partch instrumental resources met with complete non-wonderfulness. In spite of having played them for years, studied the theory, played all of them - too deep to grasp at that point. But then I'm not much of a composer, at least then; maybe now. Nope, they're gone in NY. Crap. Next time... Besides, these instruments weren't envisioned, built, cared for, composed for, performed on JUST so they'd be around for every Joe Young Composer to come and take a swipe at them! Frankly, I find that such efforts cheapen the heritage of those items. We sometimes lose our perspective (oh hell, I probably never *had* one) on how they came about - people just think the instruments are here for everyone to use to their own purpose. "Sonata No. 1 for Harmonic Canon, Blo-boy and Trombone". I certainly hope Dean handles this equitably, and reaches out beyond the NY inner circle of comps (there must be many deserving JI aesthetes out there) but I wouldn't want to be in his shoes. My guess is that if it all works out, the "good force" will bring Just Intonation music to the *exceptional* composer. Pedestrian efforts will come up short. And maybe folks will view it (the Partch instrumentarium) not as a "Bert's U-Rent Microtonal Instrument Barn", but as an inspiration to do something original themselves. Then again, maybe not. Ouch. I just fell off the soapbox.... . . . . . . Nice seeing you all again. Stay in touch! Cheers, Jon *------------------------------------------------------------------* Jonathan M. Szanto | New and Unproved . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Corporeal Meadows | . . . . . . . . . Son of Corporeal Meadows! jszanto@adnc.com | http://www.adnc.com/web/jszanto/welcome.html *------------------------------------------------------------------* Received: from ns.ezh.nl [137.174.112.59] by vbv40.ezh.nl with SMTP-OpenVMS via TCP/IP; Thu, 17 Apr 1997 11:04 +0200 Received: by ns.ezh.nl; (5.65v3.2/1.3/10May95) id AA01987; Thu, 17 Apr 1997 11:04:44 +0200 Received: from ella.mills.edu by ns (smtpxd); id XA01985 Received: from by ella.mills.edu via SMTP (940816.SGI.8.6.9/930416.SGI) id CAA06461; Thu, 17 Apr 1997 02:03:17 -0700 Date: Thu, 17 Apr 1997 02:03:17 -0700 Message-Id: Errors-To: madole@mills.edu Reply-To: tuning@ella.mills.edu Originator: tuning@eartha.mills.edu Sender: tuning@ella.mills.edu