Answering J. Reinhard and others

I am extremely sceptical about **whipping out the appropriate fingering**
and **sight reading** a score in just intonation. I just cannot imagine how
such an attitude towards rehearsal will bring out the qualitative aspects
of the intervals that I want to hear. To this end, I am willing to side
with Lou Harrison, who has argued that the _Allegro_ is the greatest
problem for just intonation (and probably only possible on instruments with
fixed pitch, tuned prior to the performance), as well as cite La Monte
Young, who observed that the accuracy of tuning is a function of the
sampling period, and was willing to go exclusively with extremely slow
tempi in order to assure more accuracy in intonation. And in practical
terms, a perfect fifth 3/2 is something I can really hear but 700 cents is
- without a metronome or watch in hand to count the beats - a real
abstraction. (I should note in this regard that Klarenz Barlow found it
necessary to use the 11/8 interval in order to tune quartertones with any
precision for his piano piece, _Chog^luotobuesishletmesi_). (I look forward
to seeing how that title passes through the internet).

Daniel Wolf
Daniel Wolf, Frankfurt

Received: from ns.ezh.nl [137.174.112.59] by vbv40.ezh.nl
with SMTP-OpenVMS via TCP/IP; Mon, 4 Nov 1996 22:16 +0100
Received: by ns.ezh.nl; (5.65v3.2/1.3/10May95) id AA03963; Sun, 3 Nov 1996 19:03:04 +0100
Received: from eartha.mills.edu by ns (smtpxd); id XA07102
Received: from by eartha.mills.edu via SMTP (940816.SGI.8.6.9/930416.SGI)
for id KAA07856; Sun, 3 Nov 1996 10:03:01 -0800
Date: Sun, 3 Nov 1996 10:03:01 -0800
Message-Id: <961103175925_71670.2576_HHB64-9@CompuServe.COM>
Errors-To: madole@ella.mills.edu
Reply-To: tuning@eartha.mills.edu
Originator: tuning@eartha.mills.edu
Sender: tuning@eartha.mills.edu