Music Group 2024-06-20 Microtonal Music

Above: Harry Partch

This week's playlist was provided by Scott as a wishlist, then paired down by Lewis, who also added The Letter. Scott wrote most of the comments below (except for The Letter). The listening adds up to about 34 minutes.

       Microtonal Guitar — Tolgahan Çoğulu

Turkish music played with non-western tunings.

       Madrigal: Musica Prisca Caput — Nicolà Vicentino

Nicolà Vicentino (1511-1575) wrote choral music employing some well-placed microtones.

       Musica Prisca Caput (on 24-tone instrument)

Vicentino invented an instrument with 31 scale tones (extended quarter comma meantone temperament) called an archicembalo (which never caught on - probably too complex to make). Here's it is played on a 24-tone instrument (similar idea)

       Musica Prisca Caput (on Arciorgano)

Same motet as above, played on the Arciorgano (similar idea).

       Arciorgano technical details

Johannes Keller talking about reconstructed Arciorgano.

       Echo in Aetheria for microtonal glass marimba

This instrument is tuned in 31 tone equal temperament (31 EDO, meaning 31 equal divisions per octave).

       31 EDO keyboard piece

Same tuning as above.

       Temporal Parallax

106 EDO on the Polychromatic 106.

       Harry Partch — The Letter

Harry Partch (1901-1974) invented his own instruments to play music in his microtonal system having 43 unequal tones per octave. "The Letter" was written in 1943 for voice, adapted guitar and kithara. It is a setting of an actual letter he recieved from a hobo pal in 1935. The Wikipedia article shows some of his instruments.

       Ben Johnston — String Quartet No. 7

Listen to the first movement and a bit of the second, from beginning through 03:00. If time permits, listen to the entire piece. Also, please read some or all of this N.Y. Times article.