source file: mills2.txt
Date: Fri, 9 May 1997 18:27:47 +0200

Subject: Re: JI Puns

From: Paul Hahn <Paul-Hahn@library.wustl.edu>

[In view of David's message, I am sending this again.  If you get two
copies of this, apologies. --pH]

On Tue, 6 May 1997, Daniel Wolf wrote:
> Although the tone in my example may be heard as 10/7 of some pitch, it is
> not neccessarily heard as 10/7 above a tonic. A tonic is established from
> within a collection of pitches, and a pun is a function not of a single
> intervallic relationship but of a set of relationships. If I establish a
> tone as the 5/4 above a tonic and then suddenly present it as the 8/7 of a
> tone _not_ present in the initial collection, I am, in effect, moving our
> center of reference to a different part of the lattice. (If you still
> disagree, then please define how far apart on a given lattice two tones
> would have to be to qualify...). 

This misses the point.  The above description would fit modulation or
even a simple chord change.  I don't think anyone is served by using
such an overbroad definition.  I don't consider the progression I-IV a
pun on the tonic note, even though it is being construed as 1/1 of one
set of pitches and 3/2 of another.  I would consider I-IV-ii-V-I a pun
on the supertonic, because it has to be construed as 10/9 at one point
and 9/8 at another (relative to the starting and ending point--and no, I
don't want to get into comma drifts right now).

BTW, I chose the term "enharmonic substitution" not becaues it precisely
fits the meaning we're trying to discuss, but rather because it is
analogous to it, i.e. in each case two differently notated pitches are
being represented by one physical pitch.

--pH <manynote@library.wustl.edu> http://library.wustl.edu/~manynote <*>
    O
   /\        "Well, so far, every time I break he runs out.
  -\-\-- o    But he's gotta slip up sometime . . . "

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