Yahoo Tuning Groups Ultimate Backup makemicromusic 6 pieces from 'Clash by Night'

Hi all,

It's been a while since I posted...I just became a daddy on Wednesday the 3rd
of May! My daughter's name is Annika Katherine Johnson. I posted this info to
metatuning, but for some reason, it hasn't gone through, and there (from my
browser anyway) haven't been any new posts there since May 3rd.

Anyhow...'Clash by Night' at the Artistic Home in Chicago has just closed its
run on the 7th of May. It was successful and warmly received by audiences and
critics alike. I wanted to post the music here for you all to listen to,
enjoy, comment. In case you are interested, there is a nice pair of reviews
online, the bottom one giving me a very positive nod for my music and sound
contribution to the show.

http://www.chicagocritic.com/html/clash_by_night.html

There was also a positive mention of me in the Tribune, but I haven't looked
online yet to see if it is archived.

Anyway, the music---the play is set in 1941, and actually opened days after
Pearl Harbor. My music for the play is jazz influenced, mostly. Briefly, the
plot is about a lovable but dim-witted blue collar worker named Jerry and his
bored wife Mae, and how their life is turned upside down when Jerry invites
his dynamic and very 'alpha-male' friend Earl to stay with them, and Mae and
Earl have an affair behind Jerry's back.

The set for the play was reminiscent of expressionism (e.g. 'The Cabinet of
Dr. Caligari'), and that was all the excuse I needed to take period music and
give it a microtonal twist. The stage carpentry consisted of some nice
angular crossbeams, and the lighting was suberb and eerie, casting ominous
shadows on the walls at times. I think the music and set in this way
heightened each other and the sense of irrationality and claustrophobia in
the onstage action.

The entire score was scored simply and minimally for vibes and bass. I used
'et compose' to make MIDI files and used some nice samples through
Timidity++. Post-production effects and normalization was done in Audacity.
Besides original music, I had a very interesting task to find authentic 1940's
and earlier recorded music for some underscoring (particularly in the
Pavilion scene).

http://www.akjmusic.com/audio/ArtisticHome/CBN/CBNPrelude.ogg
This sets the mood for the opening Staten Island hot summer night scene.
relaxed, but hints at the dramatic tension to come. 31-equal.

http://www.akjmusic.com/audio/ArtisticHome/CBN/CBNWoogie.ogg
A 1940's style blues progression that transitions into the pavilion 'party
hard scene'. Included in the pavilion scene is the original 1920's Al jolson
recording of Avalon, (listen to it at
http://www.akjmusic.com/audio/ArtisticHome/CBN/AlJolson-Avalon.mp3) which I
quote twice in my original music, once in a verbatim arrangement, another
time as a motive. 22-equal.

http://www.akjmusic.com/audio/ArtisticHome/CBN/CBNHangoverTransition.ogg
This sets the stage for the kitchen scene in the morning after the drinking
bout, and when the seduction happens. 22-equal.

http://www.akjmusic.com/audio/ArtisticHome/CBN/CBNAvalon.ogg
My arrangment of 'Avalon', a song which has significance in the plot to Mae.
For comparison, listen to the Al Jolson version above. 31-equal.

http://www.akjmusic.com/audio/ArtisticHome/CBN/CBNWaitingForJerry.ogg
Jerry has a breakdown and goes crazy, running away. In the scene following
this music, Mae and Earl worry about his fate, and wonder where he has gone.
'Avalon' is used as a motive in gentle, inverse counterpoint. Notice I used a
bit more reverb to give what I think is an extra 'sadness' to the sound.
31-equal.

http://www.akjmusic.com/audio/ArtisticHome/CBN/CBNShuffle.ogg
After Earl is almost killed by Jerry, Mae and Earl resolve to leave town with
Mae and Jerry's child. This music leads into that scene and reflects a sort
of acceleration of the play action towards the final conflict. 31-equal.

Best,
Aaron.

🔗Carl Lumma <ekin@...>

Hi Aaron,

Congrats again on fatherhood.

I get a 'forbidden' error when I try to download the oggs.

-Carl

>Hi all,
>
>It's been a while since I posted...I just became a daddy on Wednesday the 3rd
>of May! My daughter's name is Annika Katherine Johnson. I posted this info to
>metatuning, but for some reason, it hasn't gone through, and there (from my
>browser anyway) haven't been any new posts there since May 3rd.
>
>Anyhow...'Clash by Night' at the Artistic Home in Chicago has just closed its
>run on the 7th of May. It was successful and warmly received by audiences and
>critics alike. I wanted to post the music here for you all to listen to,
>enjoy, comment. In case you are interested, there is a nice pair of reviews
>online, the bottom one giving me a very positive nod for my music and sound
>contribution to the show.
>
>http://www.chicagocritic.com/html/clash_by_night.html
>
>There was also a positive mention of me in the Tribune, but I haven't looked
>online yet to see if it is archived.
>
>Anyway, the music---the play is set in 1941, and actually opened days after
>Pearl Harbor. My music for the play is jazz influenced, mostly. Briefly, the
>plot is about a lovable but dim-witted blue collar worker named Jerry and his
>bored wife Mae, and how their life is turned upside down when Jerry invites
>his dynamic and very 'alpha-male' friend Earl to stay with them, and Mae and
>Earl have an affair behind Jerry's back.
>
>The set for the play was reminiscent of expressionism (e.g. 'The Cabinet of
>Dr. Caligari'), and that was all the excuse I needed to take period music and
>give it a microtonal twist. The stage carpentry consisted of some nice
>angular crossbeams, and the lighting was suberb and eerie, casting ominous
>shadows on the walls at times. I think the music and set in this way
>heightened each other and the sense of irrationality and claustrophobia in
>the onstage action.
>
>The entire score was scored simply and minimally for vibes and bass. I used
>'et compose' to make MIDI files and used some nice samples through
>Timidity++. Post-production effects and normalization was done in Audacity.
>Besides original music, I had a very interesting task to find authentic 1940's
>and earlier recorded music for some underscoring (particularly in the
>Pavilion scene).
>
>http://www.akjmusic.com/audio/ArtisticHome/CBN/CBNPrelude.ogg
>This sets the mood for the opening Staten Island hot summer night scene.
>relaxed, but hints at the dramatic tension to come. 31-equal.
>
>http://www.akjmusic.com/audio/ArtisticHome/CBN/CBNWoogie.ogg
>A 1940's style blues progression that transitions into the pavilion 'party
>hard scene'. Included in the pavilion scene is the original 1920's Al jolson
>recording of Avalon, (listen to it at
>http://www.akjmusic.com/audio/ArtisticHome/CBN/AlJolson-Avalon.mp3) which I
>quote twice in my original music, once in a verbatim arrangement, another
>time as a motive. 22-equal.
>
>http://www.akjmusic.com/audio/ArtisticHome/CBN/CBNHangoverTransition.ogg
>This sets the stage for the kitchen scene in the morning after the drinking
>bout, and when the seduction happens. 22-equal.
>
>http://www.akjmusic.com/audio/ArtisticHome/CBN/CBNAvalon.ogg
>My arrangment of 'Avalon', a song which has significance in the plot to Mae.
>For comparison, listen to the Al Jolson version above. 31-equal.
>
>http://www.akjmusic.com/audio/ArtisticHome/CBN/CBNWaitingForJerry.ogg
>Jerry has a breakdown and goes crazy, running away. In the scene following
>this music, Mae and Earl worry about his fate, and wonder where he has gone.
>'Avalon' is used as a motive in gentle, inverse counterpoint. Notice I used a
>bit more reverb to give what I think is an extra 'sadness' to the sound.
>31-equal.
>
>http://www.akjmusic.com/audio/ArtisticHome/CBN/CBNShuffle.ogg
>After Earl is almost killed by Jerry, Mae and Earl resolve to leave town with
>Mae and Jerry's child. This music leads into that scene and reflects a sort
>of acceleration of the play action towards the final conflict. 31-equal.
>
>Best,
>Aaron.

🔗Aaron Krister Johnson <aaron@...>

On Tuesday 09 May 2006 11:00 pm, Carl Lumma wrote:
> Hi Aaron,
>
> Congrats again on fatherhood.

Thanks, Carl--how are you doing on your end?

> I get a 'forbidden' error when I try to download the oggs.

Sorry, for some reason, the perms were 600--I changed them to 644.
It works now.

Best,
Aaron.

> > Aaron wrote:
> >Hi all,
> >
> >It's been a while since I posted...I just became a daddy on Wednesday the
> > 3rd of May! My daughter's name is Annika Katherine Johnson. I posted this
> > info to metatuning, but for some reason, it hasn't gone through, and
> > there (from my browser anyway) haven't been any new posts there since May
> > 3rd.
> >
> >Anyhow...'Clash by Night' at the Artistic Home in Chicago has just closed
> > its run on the 7th of May. It was successful and warmly received by
> > audiences and critics alike. I wanted to post the music here for you all
> > to listen to, enjoy, comment. In case you are interested, there is a nice
> > pair of reviews online, the bottom one giving me a very positive nod for
> > my music and sound contribution to the show.
> >
> >http://www.chicagocritic.com/html/clash_by_night.html
> >
> >There was also a positive mention of me in the Tribune, but I haven't
> > looked online yet to see if it is archived.
> >
> >Anyway, the music---the play is set in 1941, and actually opened days
> > after Pearl Harbor. My music for the play is jazz influenced, mostly.
> > Briefly, the plot is about a lovable but dim-witted blue collar worker
> > named Jerry and his bored wife Mae, and how their life is turned upside
> > down when Jerry invites his dynamic and very 'alpha-male' friend Earl to
> > stay with them, and Mae and Earl have an affair behind Jerry's back.
> >
> >The set for the play was reminiscent of expressionism (e.g. 'The Cabinet
> > of Dr. Caligari'), and that was all the excuse I needed to take period
> > music and give it a microtonal twist. The stage carpentry consisted of
> > some nice angular crossbeams, and the lighting was suberb and eerie,
> > casting ominous shadows on the walls at times. I think the music and set
> > in this way heightened each other and the sense of irrationality and
> > claustrophobia in the onstage action.
> >
> >The entire score was scored simply and minimally for vibes and bass. I
> > used 'et compose' to make MIDI files and used some nice samples through
> > Timidity++. Post-production effects and normalization was done in
> > Audacity. Besides original music, I had a very interesting task to find
> > authentic 1940's and earlier recorded music for some underscoring
> > (particularly in the Pavilion scene).
> >
> >http://www.akjmusic.com/audio/ArtisticHome/CBN/CBNPrelude.ogg
> >This sets the mood for the opening Staten Island hot summer night scene.
> >relaxed, but hints at the dramatic tension to come. 31-equal.
> >
> >http://www.akjmusic.com/audio/ArtisticHome/CBN/CBNWoogie.ogg
> >A 1940's style blues progression that transitions into the pavilion 'party
> >hard scene'. Included in the pavilion scene is the original 1920's Al
> > jolson recording of Avalon, (listen to it at
> >http://www.akjmusic.com/audio/ArtisticHome/CBN/AlJolson-Avalon.mp3) which
> > I quote twice in my original music, once in a verbatim arrangement,
> > another time as a motive. 22-equal.
> >
> >http://www.akjmusic.com/audio/ArtisticHome/CBN/CBNHangoverTransition.ogg
> >This sets the stage for the kitchen scene in the morning after the
> > drinking bout, and when the seduction happens. 22-equal.
> >
> >http://www.akjmusic.com/audio/ArtisticHome/CBN/CBNAvalon.ogg
> >My arrangment of 'Avalon', a song which has significance in the plot to
> > Mae. For comparison, listen to the Al Jolson version above. 31-equal.
> >
> >http://www.akjmusic.com/audio/ArtisticHome/CBN/CBNWaitingForJerry.ogg
> >Jerry has a breakdown and goes crazy, running away. In the scene following
> >this music, Mae and Earl worry about his fate, and wonder where he has
> > gone. 'Avalon' is used as a motive in gentle, inverse counterpoint.
> > Notice I used a bit more reverb to give what I think is an extra
> > 'sadness' to the sound. 31-equal.
> >
> >http://www.akjmusic.com/audio/ArtisticHome/CBN/CBNShuffle.ogg
> >After Earl is almost killed by Jerry, Mae and Earl resolve to leave town
> > with Mae and Jerry's child. This music leads into that scene and reflects
> > a sort of acceleration of the play action towards the final conflict.
> > 31-equal.
> >
> >Best,
> >Aaron.
>
>
>
> Yahoo! Groups Links
>
>
>

🔗Carl Lumma <ekin@...>

Wow, Aaron, congrats. You continue to astonish. My favs were
Prelude, Avalon, and Shuffle. Love the instrumentation, but maybe
would have appreciated a little more variety at some point.

-Carl

> http://www.chicagocritic.com/html/clash_by_night.html
//
>http://www.akjmusic.com/audio/ArtisticHome/CBN/CBNPrelude.ogg
>This sets the mood for the opening Staten Island hot summer night scene.
>relaxed, but hints at the dramatic tension to come. 31-equal.
>
>http://www.akjmusic.com/audio/ArtisticHome/CBN/CBNWoogie.ogg
>A 1940's style blues progression that transitions into the pavilion 'party
>hard scene'. Included in the pavilion scene is the original 1920's Al jolson
>recording of Avalon, (listen to it at
>http://www.akjmusic.com/audio/ArtisticHome/CBN/AlJolson-Avalon.mp3) which I
>quote twice in my original music, once in a verbatim arrangement, another
>time as a motive. 22-equal.
>
>http://www.akjmusic.com/audio/ArtisticHome/CBN/CBNHangoverTransition.ogg
>This sets the stage for the kitchen scene in the morning after the drinking
>bout, and when the seduction happens. 22-equal.
>
>http://www.akjmusic.com/audio/ArtisticHome/CBN/CBNAvalon.ogg
>My arrangment of 'Avalon', a song which has significance in the plot to Mae.
>For comparison, listen to the Al Jolson version above. 31-equal.
>
>http://www.akjmusic.com/audio/ArtisticHome/CBN/CBNWaitingForJerry.ogg
>Jerry has a breakdown and goes crazy, running away. In the scene following
>this music, Mae and Earl worry about his fate, and wonder where he has gone.
>'Avalon' is used as a motive in gentle, inverse counterpoint. Notice I used a
>bit more reverb to give what I think is an extra 'sadness' to the sound.
>31-equal.
>
>http://www.akjmusic.com/audio/ArtisticHome/CBN/CBNShuffle.ogg
>After Earl is almost killed by Jerry, Mae and Earl resolve to leave town with
>Mae and Jerry's child. This music leads into that scene and reflects a sort
>of acceleration of the play action towards the final conflict. 31-equal.
>
>Best,
>Aaron.

🔗Margo Schulter <mschulter@...>

Hello, everyone, and I'd like to share my first impressions, Aaron, of
your great music settings for _Clash by Night_. Both your message and
the reviews give a nice context for enjoying this music -- although
not as nice, I'd guess, as actually seeing the production.

The prelude in 31-edo has an opening reminding me a bit of Miles Davis
(Kinda Blue) with its gliding feeling. There's also some quartal
harmony that fit with a mood at once spacious and drifting. An
interesting question is whether 31-edo might especially well fit the
often complex harmony of jazz with its intimation of higher
harmonics. The vibes timbre indeed seems to me the quintessence of
"cool."

The boogie in 22-edo has a "jazzy" quality fitting the overall
ambiance, and I'd be curious as to the sizes of thirds used (my own
experience is that certain timbres can make tuning distinctions less
critical).

The hangover transition piece in 22-edo has some "blurring" like a
musical hangover; here I'd guess that the step of 1/22 octave (about
54.55 cents) is being used for a kind of chromatic or "mini-chromatic"
effect). If so, might this be analogous to the use of an interval of
4/19 octave (about 252.63 cents) in _The Juggler_. Anyway, this is a
great example of music expressing a mood.

The _Avalon_ setting in 31-edo is really beautiful, and at the same
time fits in with the original Al Jolson version: maybe I'd compare it
to some kind of instrumental variations on a chanson or madrigal of
the kind done in 16th-century Spain, for example.

The waiting for Jerry piece in 31-edo struck me as a kind of
contrapuntal variation, "more contemplative than sad" in my impression
of the music alone -- but this was my first response in a setting
where I was not watching the drama which could provide a mood for the
music, as well as vice versa.

The shuffle piece is very sophisticated, fast and animated. My
comments in my notes echo the opinion of at least one reviewer: this
piece captures the "real _zeitgeist_" of the play, ironically one of
energy and potential in a time often characterized by depression both
economic and psychological.

Would anyone who hears the music without any information about the
tunings or special experience with them or similar ones say "This is
microtonal" -- or simply "This is beautiful music that adds to the
production values and evokes the world of the play itself"?

Here we can appreciate both the overall musical artistry and the
contributing role of the tuning systems used -- Aaron,
congratulations!

Congratulations also, of course, to Annika Katharine, Lorna, and
yourself for the most successful personal drama that you've been
involved with over the last week!

Peace and love,

Margo

🔗Prent Rodgers <prentrodgers@...>

🔗Kraig Grady <kraiggrady@...>

🔗Aaron Krister Johnson <aaron@...>

🔗Gene Ward Smith <genewardsmith@...>

🔗Aaron Krister Johnson <aaron@...>

On Friday 12 May 2006 12:39 am, Gene Ward Smith wrote:
> --- In MakeMicroMusic@yahoogroups.com, Aaron Krister Johnson
>
> <aaron@...> wrote:
> > Anyhow...'Clash by Night' at the Artistic Home in Chicago has just
>
> closed its
>
> > run on the 7th of May. It was successful and warmly received by
>
> audiences and
>
> > critics alike. I wanted to post the music here for you all to listen
>
> to,
>
> > enjoy, comment.
>
> These would make nice musical examples for the Wikipedia 22 and 31
> articles. What say you to that?

Sure, that's fine.

> I think the idea of alternating between 31 and 22 is very cool.

Truth is, I wrote the 22 examples first, then wrote the 31 examples when I
realized what I was trying to do for them was more meaningful in 31, so it
wasn't planned that way (I was planning to write the whole thing in 22, in
other words, for the peculiar mood it allows)

But it worked I guess; no one walked out of the theatre in disgust saying "the
nerve of AKJ writing in two different tempemperament systems!", and I'm glad
you think it's cool to alternate!

I did find out (surpise, surprise) that 22-eq is much harder to write in and
think in than 31-eq for me. But I also learned that although I like 22-eq,
one shouldn't force the use of a system if the music "wants" to be in
something else....*and*, I really enjoy 31-eq, and found it very intuitive
after a while.

If I had to pick one non-12 system to write in for the rest of my life, 31-eq
would be it, because it has most everything I need in it: not too many notes,
nice 7-limit harmony, small intervals for really obvious microtonal sound and
dissonance effects, *beautiful* consonance, easy spelling, and traditional
meantone relationships are available if needed.

Best,
Aaron.

🔗Kraig Grady <kraiggrady@...>

I always mentioned that i started wit h 31 ET and found it quite useful in exploring
all types of scales and such.
Possibly i should get together all of Erv's papers on it, although one could start with the purvi and marwa articles in Xenharmonikon and apply them to 31, as well as the eikosany.
It wwas only when i focused on particualr material that i moved on, but what i learned is still applicable and there is the whole 31 tone school in holland.
Notation is great and very easy to explain to anyone with any type of music background.
I only wish it had a larger whole tone at times, but one could go for the 8/7s if one wished

Aaron Krister Johnson wrote:
> On Friday 12 May 2006 12:39 am, Gene Ward Smith wrote:
> >> --- In MakeMicroMusic@yahoogroups.com, Aaron Krister Johnson
>>
>> <aaron@...> wrote:
>> >>> Anyhow...'Clash by Night' at the Artistic Home in Chicago has just
>>> >> closed its
>>
>> >>> run on the 7th of May. It was successful and warmly received by
>>> >> audiences and
>>
>> >>> critics alike. I wanted to post the music here for you all to listen
>>> >> to,
>>
>> >>> enjoy, comment.
>>> >> These would make nice musical examples for the Wikipedia 22 and 31
>> articles. What say you to that?
>> >
> Sure, that's fine.
>
> >> I think the idea of alternating between 31 and 22 is very cool.
>> >
> Truth is, I wrote the 22 examples first, then wrote the 31 examples when I > realized what I was trying to do for them was more meaningful in 31, so it > wasn't planned that way (I was planning to write the whole thing in 22, in > other words, for the peculiar mood it allows)
>
> But it worked I guess; no one walked out of the theatre in disgust saying "the > nerve of AKJ writing in two different tempemperament systems!", and I'm glad > you think it's cool to alternate!
>
> I did find out (surpise, surprise) that 22-eq is much harder to write in and > think in than 31-eq for me. But I also learned that although I like 22-eq, > one shouldn't force the use of a system if the music "wants" to be in > something else....*and*, I really enjoy 31-eq, and found it very intuitive > after a while. >
> If I had to pick one non-12 system to write in for the rest of my life, 31-eq > would be it, because it has most everything I need in it: not too many notes, > nice 7-limit harmony, small intervals for really obvious microtonal sound and > dissonance effects, *beautiful* consonance, easy spelling, and traditional > meantone relationships are available if needed.
>
> Best,
> Aaron.
>
>
>
> > Yahoo! Groups Links
>
>
>
> >
>
>
>
>
> -- Kraig Grady
North American Embassy of Anaphoria Island <http://anaphoria.com/>
The Wandering Medicine Show
KXLU <http://www.kxlu.com/main.html> 88.9 FM Wed 8-9 pm Los Angeles

🔗Carl Lumma <ekin@...>

🔗Kraig Grady <kraiggrady@...>

It was something to go from the eikosany in 31 to the just version.
the 9/8/ was the first thing that stood out.
It seems though if one was going from tuning to tuning one would not notice it.
The violin duo in the 31 tone school stated though that they did play 9/8 when the music called for it.
Possibly 31 ET being the basis of adjustment to a finer intonation system.
after all people adjust in 12.
a full 31 tone movement would have been good in such light.
19 just doesn't do it for me, even in the short term.
but we all know how much individuals ears can vary

Carl Lumma wrote:
>> I only wish it had a larger whole tone at times, but one could go for >> the 8/7s if one wished
>> >
> Yeah Kraig, I hope you're happy, you ruined 31 for me. :)
> 9:8 is one of my favorite intervals. Actually, I like 193.5 cents
> better melodically in the diatonic scale (both major and minor),
> but harmonically it's a huge difference.
>
> -Carl
>
>
>
>
> > Yahoo! Groups Links
>
>
>
> >
>
>
>
>
> -- Kraig Grady
North American Embassy of Anaphoria Island <http://anaphoria.com/>
The Wandering Medicine Show
KXLU <http://www.kxlu.com/main.html> 88.9 FM Wed 8-9 pm Los Angeles

🔗Carl Lumma <ekin@...>

🔗Kraig Grady <kraiggrady@...>

🔗Carl Lumma <ekin@...>

🔗George D. Secor <gdsecor@...>

--- In MakeMicroMusic@yahoogroups.com, Kraig Grady <kraiggrady@...>
wrote:
>
> It was something to go from the eikosany in 31 to the just version.
> the 9/8/ was the first thing that stood out.
> It seems though if one was going from tuning to tuning one would
not
> notice it.
> The violin duo in the 31 tone school stated though that they did
play
> 9/8 when the music called for it.
> Possibly 31 ET being the basis of adjustment to a finer intonation
system.
> after all people adjust in 12.

Since 31-ET has 5/4 and 7/4 with very low error, it would make an
excellent starting point for adaptive JI. Furthermore, since 1/4-
comma is almost exactly 1/7 of a degree of 31, and since 217-ET (7
times 31) is 21-limit consistent, it would be quite logical to make
those adjustments in increments of 1/7-degrees of 31.

If wind instruments were constructed for 31-ET, then all of the tones
of 217-ET could be obtained using pitch-bending by +/- 3deg217, a
maximum of ~17 cents (or less than a comma). This is one of the
approaches to adaptive JI that is suggested in footnote 15 (page 20)
of the Sagittal notation paper:
http://dkeenan.com/sagittal/Sagittal.pdf
(Adaptive JI is also discussed briefly beginning at the bottom of
page 18.)

Finally, another property of 217-ET is that it's not very far removed
from 41-ET: a sequence of 41 of its best fifths (127deg) falls short
of an upper octave of the starting tone by only a single degree
(about 1/4-comma).

So if anyone is considering construction of microtonal wind
instruments, I would advise giving 31-ET serious consideration.

--George