source file: m1495.txt Date: Wed, 5 Aug 1998 17:22:56 -0400 (EDT) Subject: Re: Numbers and a new tuning From: Johnny Reinhard Great to read of that all integers are sacred when they are small eough. (There are 10 in a minyan, however, which is the necessary minimum amount of Jewish participants for group prayer.) I've been working on a new piece in a new tuning. It is for soprano, violin, viola, and cello and scheduled for performance at De Ysbreker on October 13th in Amsterdam. It is largely tuned to Harmonic-17. As some of you may recall, there have been some surprisingly good success in composing in Harmonic-13 tuning (wherein each interval of a 14-note scale is made up of ratios that contain either a 13 or a multiple of 13). Well, now its Harmonic-17, wherein each interval in a 16-note scale is made up of ratios that contain either a 17 or a multiple of 17. Basically, the sound resonates in a unique fracture of the octave, sifting easily into 3 and 4 note chords that resemble harmonic chordal progresson. There are certainly exotics, too. I would suppose one would eventually discern a "17-ness" to the music. There was earlier discussion of a feeling for certain limits of the overtone series (e.g. 7-limit quality of sound, 11-limit quality of sound). I recall disagreement with this notion. However, when every single note is a 17-perspective, might the "-ness" resulting merely be a manifestaion of the music's "17-ness"? Johnny Reinhard Director American Festival of Microtonal Music 318 East 70th Street, Suite 5FW New York, New York 10021 USA (212)517-3550/fax (212) 517-5495 reinhard@idt.net http://www.echonyc.com/~jhhl/AFMM