source file: mills2.txt
Date: Fri, 11 Jul 1997 23:42:15 +0200

Subject: Re: Historical temperaments: reply to Bill Alves

From: alves@orion.ac.hmc.edu (Bill Alves)

I had written:
><If this supposed prevalance of meantone tuning is to be applied to the
><piano, then how are we to account for Mozart's occassional, but no less
><significant, excursions into chromaticism in solo piano works, such as
><the famous C minor fantasy? There are other possibilities besides equal
><temperament, including the various well temperaments and circulating
><temperaments, but I can't see how such a piece could work in meantone, if
><that's what you're proposing.
>
Dan had responded:
>A look at the Sonatas will show you 3 in C Major, 3 in F Major, 2 in Bb
>Major, 1 in Eb Major, 1 in G Major, 3 in D Major, 1 in A Major, 1 in a
>minor, and the Sonata and Fantasie in c minor, exactly the extent of the
>meantone keys. Most of the Sonatas feature chromaticism, the spelling
>consistant with meantone set to Eb to A. I personally find the chromaticism
>in the Fantasien to be especially vivid in meantone. My difficulty with
>claims for a temperament other that meantone for Mozart lies chiefly in
>the absence of music in other keys.

Well, the key a piece is written in is only one of the tonalities
introduced. By "chromaticism" I meant not only the use of chromatic
non-harmonic tones, but also the frequent use of modulations to foreign
keys. A quick glance at my copy of the c minor Fantasia K.475 shows what I
would consider modulations from C minor to Bb minor to Db major to B major
all within the first 11 bars, including a big fat F#653 chord. That would
sound vivid indeed in meantone!

Bill

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
^ Bill Alves                                      email: alves@hmc.edu ^
^ Harvey Mudd College                 URL: http://www2.hmc.edu/~alves/ ^
^ 301 E. Twelfth St.                            (909)607-4170 (office) ^
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