source file: mills3.txt Date: Sunday, October 05, 1997 2:19 AM Subject: TUNING digest 1197 From: tuning@eartha.mills.edu > TUNING Digest 1197 > >Topics covered in this issue include: > > 1) Comma Pop? I think not... and more! > by "Jonathan M. Szanto" > >---------------------------------------------------------------------- > >Topic No. 1 > >Date: Sun, 05 Oct 1997 02:12:14 -0700 >From: "Jonathan M. Szanto" >To: tuning@eartha.mills.edu (Tuning List) >Subject: Comma Pop? I think not... and more! >Message-ID: <3.0.2.32.19971005021214.006b327c@adnc.com> > >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 >*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~* > >------------------------------ > >End of TUNING Digest 1197 >************************* > SMTPOriginator: tuning@eartha.mills.edu From: Daniel Wolf Subject: TUNING digest 1198 PostedDate: 06-10-97 17:30:37 SendTo: CN=coul1358/OU=AT/O=EZH ReplyTo: tuning@eartha.mills.edu $MessageStorage: 0 $UpdatedBy: CN=notesrv2/OU=Server/O=EZH,CN=coul1358/OU=AT/O=EZH,CN=Manuel op de Coul/OU=AT/O=EZH RouteServers: CN=notesrv2/OU=Server/O=EZH,CN=notesrv1/OU=Server/O=EZH RouteTimes: 06-10-97 17:30:11-06-10-97 17:30:12,06-10-97 16:28:46-06-10-97 16:28:46 DeliveredDate: 06-10-97 16:28:46 Categories: $Revisions: Received: from ns.ezh.nl ([137.174.112.59]) by notesrv2.ezh.nl (Lotus SMTP MTA SMTP v4.6 (462.2 9-3-1997)) with SMTP id C1256528.005525C4; Mon, 6 Oct 1997 17:30:02 +0200 Received: by ns.ezh.nl; (5.65v3.2/1.3/10May95) id AA09038; Mon, 6 Oct 1997 17:30:37 +0200 Date: Mon, 6 Oct 1997 17:30:37 +0200 Received: from ella.mills.edu by ns (smtpxd); id XA08935 Received: (qmail 29871 invoked from network); 6 Oct 1997 08:28:54 -0700 Received: from localhost (HELO ella.mills.edu) (127.0.0.1) by localhost with SMTP; 6 Oct 1997 08:28:54 -0700 Message-Id: <199710061100_MC2-22EF-ADA5@compuserve.com> Errors-To: madole@mills.edu Reply-To: tuning@eartha.mills.edu Originator: tuning@eartha.mills.edu Sender: tuning@eartha.mills.edu