Dan Stearns' Double Dozen (2)

------------------------------------------
Dan Stearns, American Original
Exploring the Double Dozen (2)
------------------------------------------

Hello, everyone, and this is the second installment of a review of a
most generous set of pieces by Dan Stearns available at:

<http://zebox.com/danstearns_2/music>

Based on a friendly and informative e-mail from Dan, please let me add
a clarification that while there are 24 "pieces" or sound files in
this set, actually they could be divided into 14 main works or the
like. In my remaining reviews, I'll try to follow Dan's suggested
groupings, apologizing in advance for any misunderstandings that might
arise, and warmly inviting correction.

-------------------
3. Ballad in 14-edo
-------------------

For me, this piece has a kind of "consonant pantonal" quality or the
like in at least some sections, with lots of interesting counterpoint.
An interesting question is to what degree a distinctive "14-ness" is
involved, as opposed (or maybe better simply orthogonal) to Dan's
method of above all seeking to make compelling _music_ in any tuning
he's using.

Having explored 14-edo a bit, I can say that the tuning indeed invites
many different approaches: one could treat it as two chains of 7-EDO
(a rough or sometimes rather close approximation of some Asian and
African tuning systems), or as a set of classic Gothic European
cadences curiously taking place in a nondiatonic environment. Dan has
his own approach -- I'm not sure if "pantonalism" is the right word --
to 14-edo which fits in nicely with his other pieces in this set.

The use of pitched percussion is typical of the set, giving it a
melodious and often "mysterious" quality while enhancing the timbral
contrasts of the counterpoint, and Dan makes this resource work very
nicely in 14-edo.

-----------------------------------
4. Homage to Charles Ives in 11-edo
-----------------------------------

One traditional view of 11-edo is as an ideal tuning for very
"dissonant" music in an atonal or pantonal style (without the
artificial strategies required in 12-edo to obtain "pantonalism"),
while another perspective focuses on the concordant qualities of
11-edo intervals when "Setharianized" by adjusting partials in
electronic timbres.

Dan's approach in this tribute to Charles Ives -- and more broadly, I
might say, to Americana and the diverse roots of these currents --
takes it's own view, with what I might call a "jazzy" flavor. The
opening theme has energy, and some of the melody seems to have a
"klezmer-like" flavor, evoking the kind of Eastern European mystical
Jewish sound that has had an impact on the other side of the Atlantic
also.

Again, at least it seems to me, we have more of a musical message
filtered through a given tuning rather than a tuning in search of a
musical message.

--------------------
5. Scherzo in 13-edo
--------------------

One classic use of the term _Scherzo_ occurs in the _Scherzi musicali_
of Claudio Monteverdi, of which next year will mark the 400th
anniversary of the first volume's release in 1607: these are pleasant
songs for two voices above a continuo accompaniment (often a bass
instrument plus one capable of filling in complete harmonies, for
example bass viol plus harpsichord or lute), or sometimes (in the
second volume published around 1632, if I'm correct) a solo voice plus
continuo.

Dan's _Scherzo in 13-edo_ is a bit different, with a very jazzy
opening and a development that, like his 11-edo piece in this set, can
sound "klezmer-ish." The overall effect, I would say, is that of a
jazz ensemble -- another angle on the overall theme of this
collection.

---------------------------------------
6. Largo combining 20-, 19-, and 12-EDO
---------------------------------------

This piece seems distinctly in a "20th-century classical" vein, with
an artful use of intervals and contrasts. The opening reminds me of a
typical European gambit around 1600 with an opening "chromatic" figure
-- here meaning not the chromatic tetrachord of ancient Greece
(although that was often a 16th-century inspiration), but a figure
alternating small and large semitones on a meantone keyboard, for
example (e.g. A-G#-G-F#-F). Dan seems to have taken this convention
and transplanted it to a 20th-21st century counterpoint.

One the most impressive effects is a rather lean and yet immense
texture around 1:30 and again around 4:00 into the piece, maybe
involving vertical sevenths.

Instead of attempting to sort out the elements of the three equal
tunings combined in this piece, I find my response is to abandon
myself to the total effect.

This is a modern masterpiece of texture, layering, melodic interweave,
and contrapuntal contrast, and an example of how enlarged intonational
resources can enrich a worthy genre.

----------------------------------------------
7. Piano piece in NON-just/octave/equal tuning
----------------------------------------------

Opening with a rhythmic and melodic motive that seems a germ for
variations, this piece is, if I'm reading a list correctly, also
identified in its mp3 file name as an "atonal piano" setting.

There are bursts of energy, alternating with a kind of undercurrent a
bit like the Milky Way as seen with the naked eye somewhere on the
edge of urban civilization. Jazz-like riffs break through to give
drive and direction, while the undercurrent intrigues.

One challenge for me with this piece is to find the best volume to
hear more of the undercurrents while keeping the louder parts
reasonably comfortable. This is more a comment on my ears, and
possibly on the nature of the pianoforte as an instrument whose very
name announces dynamic contrasts as a major theme, than on the
specifics of Dan's style -- but he does use these dynamics as part of
his jazzy "atonal" statement.

Peace and love,

Margo

i don't really have time to respond as i'd like, but i just wanted to
take a second to thank margo. Because what she's doing here is
nothing short of a kind of super altruistic example of communal
solidarity. On the overall i don't think this music plays to easy
expectations or quick listens/responses, and I know for sure that it
really doesn't play into Margo's (considerable) strengths, yet she
has gone and done what she's done, and that's inspiring! So thank you
Margo, i really appreciate what you're doing and i know it can't be
easy--and you're right, I'm much more interested in a compelling and
personal "something" than i am microtunings or even music .so thanks
again, daniel
--- In MakeMicroMusic@yahoogroups.com, Margo Schulter <mschulter@...>
wrote:
>
> ------------------------------------------
> Dan Stearns, American Original
> Exploring the Double Dozen (2)
> ------------------------------------------
>
> Hello, everyone, and this is the second installment of a review of a
> most generous set of pieces by Dan Stearns available at:
>
> <http://zebox.com/danstearns_2/music>
>
> Based on a friendly and informative e-mail from Dan, please let me
add
> a clarification that while there are 24 "pieces" or sound files in
> this set, actually they could be divided into 14 main works or the
> like. In my remaining reviews, I'll try to follow Dan's suggested
> groupings, apologizing in advance for any misunderstandings that
might
> arise, and warmly inviting correction.
>
> -------------------
> 3. Ballad in 14-edo
> -------------------
>
> For me, this piece has a kind of "consonant pantonal" quality or the
> like in at least some sections, with lots of interesting
counterpoint.
> An interesting question is to what degree a distinctive "14-ness" is
> involved, as opposed (or maybe better simply orthogonal) to Dan's
> method of above all seeking to make compelling _music_ in any tuning
> he's using.
>
>
> Having explored 14-edo a bit, I can say that the tuning indeed
invites
> many different approaches: one could treat it as two chains of 7-EDO
> (a rough or sometimes rather close approximation of some Asian and
> African tuning systems), or as a set of classic Gothic European
> cadences curiously taking place in a nondiatonic environment. Dan
has
> his own approach -- I'm not sure if "pantonalism" is the right
word --
> to 14-edo which fits in nicely with his other pieces in this set.
>
> The use of pitched percussion is typical of the set, giving it a
> melodious and often "mysterious" quality while enhancing the timbral
> contrasts of the counterpoint, and Dan makes this resource work very
> nicely in 14-edo.
>
>
> -----------------------------------
> 4. Homage to Charles Ives in 11-edo
> -----------------------------------
>
> One traditional view of 11-edo is as an ideal tuning for very
> "dissonant" music in an atonal or pantonal style (without the
> artificial strategies required in 12-edo to obtain "pantonalism"),
> while another perspective focuses on the concordant qualities of
> 11-edo intervals when "Setharianized" by adjusting partials in
> electronic timbres.
>
> Dan's approach in this tribute to Charles Ives -- and more broadly,
I
> might say, to Americana and the diverse roots of these currents --
> takes it's own view, with what I might call a "jazzy" flavor. The
> opening theme has energy, and some of the melody seems to have a
> "klezmer-like" flavor, evoking the kind of Eastern European mystical
> Jewish sound that has had an impact on the other side of the
Atlantic
> also.
>
> Again, at least it seems to me, we have more of a musical message
> filtered through a given tuning rather than a tuning in search of a
> musical message.
>
>
> --------------------
> 5. Scherzo in 13-edo
> --------------------
>
> One classic use of the term _Scherzo_ occurs in the _Scherzi
musicali_
> of Claudio Monteverdi, of which next year will mark the 400th
> anniversary of the first volume's release in 1607: these are
pleasant
> songs for two voices above a continuo accompaniment (often a bass
> instrument plus one capable of filling in complete harmonies, for
> example bass viol plus harpsichord or lute), or sometimes (in the
> second volume published around 1632, if I'm correct) a solo voice
plus
> continuo.
>
> Dan's _Scherzo in 13-edo_ is a bit different, with a very jazzy
> opening and a development that, like his 11-edo piece in this set,
can
> sound "klezmer-ish." The overall effect, I would say, is that of a
> jazz ensemble -- another angle on the overall theme of this
> collection.
>
>
> ---------------------------------------
> 6. Largo combining 20-, 19-, and 12-EDO
> ---------------------------------------
>
> This piece seems distinctly in a "20th-century classical" vein, with
> an artful use of intervals and contrasts. The opening reminds me of
a
> typical European gambit around 1600 with an opening "chromatic"
figure
> -- here meaning not the chromatic tetrachord of ancient Greece
> (although that was often a 16th-century inspiration), but a figure
> alternating small and large semitones on a meantone keyboard, for
> example (e.g. A-G#-G-F#-F). Dan seems to have taken this convention
> and transplanted it to a 20th-21st century counterpoint.
>
> One the most impressive effects is a rather lean and yet immense
> texture around 1:30 and again around 4:00 into the piece, maybe
> involving vertical sevenths.
>
> Instead of attempting to sort out the elements of the three equal
> tunings combined in this piece, I find my response is to abandon
> myself to the total effect.
>
> This is a modern masterpiece of texture, layering, melodic
interweave,
> and contrapuntal contrast, and an example of how enlarged
intonational
> resources can enrich a worthy genre.
>
>
> ----------------------------------------------
> 7. Piano piece in NON-just/octave/equal tuning
> ----------------------------------------------
>
> Opening with a rhythmic and melodic motive that seems a germ for
> variations, this piece is, if I'm reading a list correctly, also
> identified in its mp3 file name as an "atonal piano" setting.
>
> There are bursts of energy, alternating with a kind of undercurrent
a
> bit like the Milky Way as seen with the naked eye somewhere on the
> edge of urban civilization. Jazz-like riffs break through to give
> drive and direction, while the undercurrent intrigues.
>
> One challenge for me with this piece is to find the best volume to
> hear more of the undercurrents while keeping the louder parts
> reasonably comfortable. This is more a comment on my ears, and
> possibly on the nature of the pianoforte as an instrument whose very
> name announces dynamic contrasts as a major theme, than on the
> specifics of Dan's style -- but he does use these dynamics as part
of
> his jazzy "atonal" statement.
>
> Peace and love,
>
> Margo
>

Margo Schulter wrote on Wed May 10, 2006:
>
> ------------------------------------------
> Dan Stearns, American Original
> Exploring the Double Dozen (2)
> ------------------------------------------
>
> Hello, everyone, and this is the second installment of a review of a
> most generous set of pieces by Dan Stearns available at:
>
> <http://zebox.com/danstearns_2/music>
>
> Based on a friendly and informative e-mail from Dan, please let me add
> a clarification that while there are 24 "pieces" or sound files in
> this set, actually they could be divided into 14 main works or the
> like. In my remaining reviews, I'll try to follow Dan's suggested
> groupings, apologizing in advance for any misunderstandings that might
> arise, and warmly inviting correction.
>
> -------------------
> 3. Ballad in 14-edo
> -------------------
>
> For me, this piece has a kind of "consonant pantonal" quality or the
> like in at least some sections ...
[snip]
> Having explored 14-edo a bit, I can say that the tuning indeed invites
> many different approaches: one could treat it as two chains of 7-EDO
> (a rough or sometimes rather close approximation of some Asian and
> African tuning systems), or as a set of classic Gothic European
> cadences curiously taking place in a nondiatonic environment. Dan has
> his own approach -- I'm not sure if "pantonalism" is the right word --
> to 14-edo which fits in nicely with his other pieces in this set.
[snip]
> -----------------------------------
> 4. Homage to Charles Ives in 11-edo
> -----------------------------------
>
> One traditional view of 11-edo is as an ideal tuning for very
> "dissonant" music in an atonal or pantonal style (without the
> artificial strategies required in 12-edo to obtain "pantonalism"),
> while another perspective focuses on the concordant qualities of
> 11-edo intervals when "Setharianized" by adjusting partials in
> electronic timbres.
[snip]

Hi Margo,

You've been, as always, very generous with your time
and knowledge, and I feel we all benefit from your
critiques - I'm sure I do! - of the recent music by Dan
Stearns, Aaron Krister Johnson and Mohajeri Shaahin.
Thank you!

Could you elaborate on what *you* mean by
"pantonalism"? I do have my own take on it, but I
suspect that yours may be different - and I'm certain
it will be better informed than mine! ;-)

Regards,
Yahya

--
No virus found in this outgoing message.
Checked by AVG Free Edition.
Version: 7.1.392 / Virus Database: 268.5.5/334 - Release Date: 8/5/06

> Could you elaborate on what *you* mean by
> "pantonalism"? I do have my own take on it, but I
> suspect that yours may be different - and I'm certain
> it will be better informed than mine! ;-)

Dear Yahya,

Please let me warmly thank you for your question while
cautioning that my understanding of "pantonalism" is not
necessarily more informed than yours, and that here I'll try
to explain what I was saying about Dan's music as I hear it.

The specific kind of historical European "pantonalism" which
some of Dan's music may resemble in a way evolved in the
decades immediately after 1900, when composers such as
Schoenberg, Berg, and Webern sought to use 12-EDO in such a
way that each of the 12 notes would have equal importance,
with various techniques developed to avoid special emphasis
on any one step.

These techniques aimed to avoid familiar patterns of earlier
European music, melodic or vertical, but often left open the
way to borrow sophisticated aspects of traditional
counterpoint such as canons. Also. along with this
counterpoint, there was often a mood of abruptly changing
and disconnected textures -- very powerful to a receptive
listener.

It is maybe especially the elements of texture and
counterpoint in Dan's music that might suggest a certain
association with "pantonalism."

However, an interesting aspect of Dan's 14-EDO piece I
discussed, for example, is that he isn't in the situation of
striving to use 12-EDO without repeating the patterns of
earlier music which "pantonalism" seeks ot avoid -- and
thus, I'd say, can be musically "gentler" in doing something
new. I'm not sure if Dan might not want to correct or revise
this analysis, or how much it's influenced by my own emotion
reaction to the music.

A caution, which applies to my writing as well as that of
other people, is that often a description of a piece as
"pantonal" might mean something like this: "What is
happening doesn't fit any structural model with which I'm
familiar, so I tend to hear each or any note as potentially
an equal center."

Again, I'm speaking to certain musical associations which
Dan's music suggests to me, rather than to his composerly
intent or design, to which he can best speak.

Thank you again for the question, which might help me to
appreciate more fully his pieces which I have yet to
review.

This is a very quick answer, but I hope that at least it can
help by inviting more dialogue.

Peace and love,

Margo

It was my understanding that the term originated with either Slonimsky, or possibly Rudolf Reti to describe actually two closely but slightly different processes.
Slonimsky use the term to describe the serialization of diatonic material, but also the free use of this material.

Reti use the term to describe the process of composers who would use simultaneously use of different tonal areas being expanding at the same time.
For instance the combination of IV and I chordal areas together. of V of ii, ii and V all at once or separated into different instrumental groups.
It is somewhat similar to polytonal music except that one supposedly will hear a dominant tonality.
Copland might be a good example of this , although Reti used Bartok quite a bit to show his use of pedal notes or chords at unusual tonal points .
Stravinsky would also be a good example.
Reti proposed this to be a more fruitful direction for music than atonality which he saw as an opposing force.
Margo Schulter wrote:
>> Could you elaborate on what *you* mean by
>> "pantonalism"? I do have my own take on it, but I
>> suspect that yours may be different - and I'm certain
>> it will be better informed than mine! ;-)
>> >
> Dear Yahya,
>
> Please let me warmly thank you for your question while
> cautioning that my understanding of "pantonalism" is not
> necessarily more informed than yours, and that here I'll try
> to explain what I was saying about Dan's music as I hear it.
>
> The specific kind of historical European "pantonalism" which
> some of Dan's music may resemble in a way evolved in the
> decades immediately after 1900, when composers such as
> Schoenberg, Berg, and Webern sought to use 12-EDO in such a
> way that each of the 12 notes would have equal importance,
> with various techniques developed to avoid special emphasis
> on any one step.
>
> These techniques aimed to avoid familiar patterns of earlier
> European music, melodic or vertical, but often left open the
> way to borrow sophisticated aspects of traditional
> counterpoint such as canons. Also. along with this
> counterpoint, there was often a mood of abruptly changing
> and disconnected textures -- very powerful to a receptive
> listener.
>
> It is maybe especially the elements of texture and
> counterpoint in Dan's music that might suggest a certain
> association with "pantonalism."
>
> However, an interesting aspect of Dan's 14-EDO piece I
> discussed, for example, is that he isn't in the situation of
> striving to use 12-EDO without repeating the patterns of
> earlier music which "pantonalism" seeks ot avoid -- and
> thus, I'd say, can be musically "gentler" in doing something
> new. I'm not sure if Dan might not want to correct or revise
> this analysis, or how much it's influenced by my own emotion
> reaction to the music.
>
> A caution, which applies to my writing as well as that of
> other people, is that often a description of a piece as
> "pantonal" might mean something like this: "What is
> happening doesn't fit any structural model with which I'm
> familiar, so I tend to hear each or any note as potentially
> an equal center."
>
> Again, I'm speaking to certain musical associations which
> Dan's music suggests to me, rather than to his composerly
> intent or design, to which he can best speak.
>
> Thank you again for the question, which might help me to
> appreciate more fully his pieces which I have yet to
> review.
>
> This is a very quick answer, but I hope that at least it can
> help by inviting more dialogue.
>
> Peace and love,
>
> Margo
>
>
>
>
>
> > 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