source file: mills3.txt Date: Wed, 8 Oct 1997 10:34:37 +0200 Subject: What Is Microtonal Music? From: "Jonathan M. Szanto" [I'm assuming interested parties have already set their 'from="szanto"--->trash' filters to the *ON* position] Well, this has developed far beyond the pop model. Kind of scary. Nonetheless, potentially worth a little bandwidth, since most all subscribed herein are involved with tuning in a some musical fashion. And if you are a visible entity, your thoughts are worth examining critically. >Of course, most on this list understand that my philosophy of microtonal >music is cross-cultural based. From this yardstick, _all_ music is >considered microtonal, past and present. Understandably, not everyone is >as catholic in their take on the intonational pie. Daniel Wolf handled this admirably. A yardstick that can no longer measure has certainly ceased to function as intended (when is a yardstick not a yardstick?). >As far as microtones in pop being out of tune, or irregular, or accidents, >I think this condition exists quite rarely if at all. The days of >microtones being "out-of-tune" notes I thought had passed. What's that expression..."get real"? If a singer in a cover band is 50 cents flat to the pitch on his/her rendition of "Feelings", it IS NOT intentional microtonality -- it's plain, inept 'out-of-tune'-ality. To ignore this is an ivory-tower view of unprecendented opaqueness, and also raises a dark spectre: if acceptance of all the variants of 'out-of-tune' performance are merely lumped in as broad-based microtonality, then how on Earth do you come up with performance standards? This implies, by default, that bad or poorly executed intonation is impossible, even in microtonal music, such as JI or other ET's! What now: "Close enough for jazz", to coin an old phrase? I know Johnny referred to Pink Floyd when citing microtonal performers; he asserts that these aren't "accidents". If I may expand, I would posit that the tempo fluxuations coming from Nick (drummer) weren't intended, that he was never known for having a particularly solid 'pocket'. I would never propose that the group was either micro- or poly- metric/rhythmic. But that's me. >Answer: if you perceive it as art, it is art. While I realize this is a very philosophical outlook, it also completely validates the "if you perceived it as in tune, it was in tune" model. I don't know if I would want to hear an ensemble based on *that* particular aesthetic. >It is crucial to any discussion to define the terms being discussed. To >that end I wrote a paper titled _Phenomenology and Its Application to >Microtonality_ while a graduate student in ethnomusicolgoy. Which, of course, sent me out on a search for information on phenomenology, Edmund Husserl and calls to my more philo-centric colleagues and contacts. While at polar extremes from being an expert, I have an idea of where Johnny is coming from now. >Meanings of words evolve. >"Microtone" by itself may not have any utility. It is vague and signifies >insignificance by itself. IMHO. Then, for anyone involved in the ongoing growth and evolution of a subject area, it would seem not only valuable but imperitive to re-define terms, in an effort to sustain a dialog and investigation of that very subject matter. There is certainly no harm, and much good, that can come from application of intellectual rigor in a case such as this, especially when "It is crucial to any discussion to define the terms being discussed." Bailing out is unhelpful. IMHO. >A discipline of Microtonality, which I adhere to, would include the >commonality of all musics from the perspecitive of pitch and their >intervallic relationships. I find it difficult, if not impossible, to see how this defines Microtonality; it would seem to be all-inclusive, with the possible exception of non-pitch oriented musics. It would even, at face reading, appear to include 12TET. I'm dense: what's the point? I have not quoted Johnny's references to the Harvard Dictionary of Music, because to hold up incorrect, dated, or superceded examples/models is a rather weak way of postulating an alternative model. Baby with the bath water, or some such thing... Sooooooooooooooooooooo: what is microtonal music? Maybe it's all been about chasing our tail, and could have easily been boiled down to "non-12TET musics". I just don't think *everything* is microtonal. It has to be more than a casual happenstance, at least on some level. I only hope Johnny would think about this a bit more, seeing as he has a somewhat higher-profile-than-most role in the future and development of non-12TET musics. It *can't* be, as previously stated, the "American Festival of All Musics". Well, it could be, I suppose, but then the AFMM would be just like everyone else, and we wouldn't want that. Besides, if it wasn't Microtonal Music, I would lose all the good feelings I get from advertising the concert series on my web site!! Stay in tune, folks; looking forward to that tape..... 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: What Is Microtonal Music? 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