source file: mills3.txt Date: Sun, 5 Oct 1997 11:20:32 +0200 Subject: Comma Pop? I think not... and more! From: "Jonathan M. Szanto" Tunisti, In a recent exchange here, entitled "Pop In Microtones", I had a bit of a disagreement with Maestro J. Reinhard's somewhat enthusiastic overview of the world. Please be assured, as Johnny and I have 'taken it outside' more than once that it's all on a contextual level, with no (none!) enmity. Onward... Perhaps the greatest mistake is the confusion between "microtonal music" and "music containing microtones". At least I believe this to be the crux of the problem. I would propose that a music *fundamentally* based on some sort of microtonal architecture, in any form, would constitute a piece of "microtonal music". This, therefore, excludes musics that *happen to have* microtones produced as a side effect, as an addition or coloration or ornamentation, or an accident. I believe this to be a very important distinction, and the one on which I base the premise that we are very, very far, indeed, from a world of microtonal pop music. After all, if the second schema was the yardstick, then most every orchestral concert I've been involved in has been microtonal, at least in the general vicinity of the back stands of the second violins... Johnny had a very telling remark, in response to some of my questions about globalization vs. Kenny G, and his ilk: "The important thing here -- at least to me -- is that there is a soup of interval useage out there in the real world of music, and that includes pop." Which only heightens the contrast between the two premises: is it microtonal music just because it has a few out-of-tune/in-tune notes? I don't believe it is. So then Johnny, after a shotgun attempt at supplying information to back up his claims, tended to reinforce my main point, which was only to keep everyone from overheating with joy that the Microtonal Millenium had arrived! The facts still exist: 1. Whitney Houston is not a microtonal pop artist. 2. In spite of any analysis, Pink Floyd could not realistically by considered as composers/performers of microtonal pop -- because adjusting 3rds just doesn't overcome the inheirently 12TET underpinnings of the other 99% of the work. 3. Having microtonal (or microtonally sympathetic) personnel at *some* of the stations or print outlets does not constitute mainstream. For heaven's sake, NPR? Mainstream? In Jesse Helm's dreams... The other rationalizations were also similarly weak. I didn't realize that the Grateful Dead listened to Ive's 4th before each concert for a year, but then I wouldn't ask Gerry Garcia to be my pharmacist based on his other interests at the time, either. Not to mention that anyone hoping to peg Aaron Copland as a microtonal composer (scattered experimentation notwithstanding) is on shaky ground indeed; like he was a great serialist, too, huh? Nope. Pretty traditional guy, by just about anyone's standards. I hope no one took my thoughts on San Diego's microtonal 'scene' in a mean-spirited way, I just wanted to make clear that (since we are speaking of the present) that it is about as nowhere as most anywhere these days. Past history is just that, and no personal slights were intended. Believe me: there may be folks living here that know about it, but nobody doin' it. HOWEVER, JR and I do have one potential common ground with rap. In its infancy, with a reliance solely on vocals and rhythm, there was a freedom from rigid harmelodic dogma that hadn't been seen in a great while. The setting of words that mean a great deal to ordinary people, set intervalicly (sp?) more closely to 'real' speech than any piano can produce, certainly warmed my heart -- and I'm sure Partch would love it too, harkening back to his earliest days of text settings in monophonic arrangements (though Harry would have abhorred the violence and brutality). Even though the scents of other musical styles are seeping back in, there seems to be *much* more fluidity, harmonically and melodically, in the vocals of these artists than most any other pop. Of course, that's all been co-opted as it became fodder for Sprite commercials, etc. Damn. Well, anyhow, that's one evenings ruminations. I figure I'm quiet enough on the list that I can spew a little occasionally. I like to keep things in perspective, yep... ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Hey, on a completely different note(s), if you haven't stopped by Corporeal Meadows recently, please do (see the .sig). In the last couple of months I've added a few new bits, including a reproduction of a brochure on Partch's instruments that he included with the Gate 5 recordings, only (on the web site) you can hear the instruments demonstrated. Also, Philip Blackburn continues to bring out more material in the Innova/Enclosures project, and we're probably just weeks away from the first volumes of the CRI Partch Collection. Besides, I never get any complaints about my site. I must have gotten *someone* pissed off here! ;) I'm going to bed now. Bye. Cheers, Jon *~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~* Jonathan M. Szanto : "Hell, I haven't hit my thumb in 30 years!!" jszanto@adnc.com : - Harry Partch Corporeal Meadows : http://www.adnc.com/web/jszanto/welcome.html *~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~* SMTPOriginator: tuning@eartha.mills.edu From: Johnny Reinhard Subject: Re: Comma Pop? I think yes... and more! 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