H'stick's post on Kami's post on Indian music

Posters on this lists seem always to view the scale as a "template"
for ALL other music.

I view the scales as individual works. I found explanations to how the scales
are formed. Intervals in a melody, or for that matter, notes in any part in
progression of chords, are like a passenger sitting inside a train watching a
sequence of electric wire posts sweeping past. When the spacing is in a regular
pattern, he finds it normal. Just as if interval arrangements follows some
sort of pattern in a _balanced_ manner, the listener then finds it in tune.

The western major scale, the Chinese major scale, the mean tone and the
tempered scale, all conform to this logic.

But those are the easiest pieces of "work" to analyse.

Back in October, I read a paper in a conference in Shanghai which I
explained exactly when and why two identical melodies in the "Butterfly
Lovers'" violin concerto must be played differently - by exactly a 81/80
comma on certain notes.

There is an exact reason why every note in every good piece of music
must be played a particular intonation that is "correct". There is a natural
law which many classical composers fell into. And breaking this law became
the Art for subsequent composers.

Once I played a little of a cd recording of the "Butterfly Lovers'" violin
concerto (not by me) at my home, and asked my maid whether she thought
the violinist was playing well or not. She exclaimed "Why, is that a cd.
I thought it was your friend playing!" She thought it was the man who sold me
my violin. He just manage to play some violin, but no where near good. My maid
did not notice the accompanying orchestra on the cd. She just noticed how
the violinist played out of tune.

Yes, I played this concerto, with a piano, two weeks ago, and will play
again twice in January. The audience likes it, and wonders why I sound
better than their cd's at their home, with orchestra.

One new pupil is studying this concerto with me for her first lesson
yestersday. She is ten years old and got distinction in her grade 8 LRSM
exam. And she noticed that the lovers were actually dead, when I showed her
how the ending melody should be played, differently from the beginning.

John Chalmers heard a little of my playing on tape in my car. On the
"Spanish Dance" (in a minor key), he commented that my playing improved
a lot (actually, it was just "correct". On the Meditation, which I told
him I was playing in the "Chinese scale", he said, "It sounds very
expressive" which actually, just exactly how the composer intended.

That is exactly what I teach. Which particular pitch on which note, on every
note.

I make myself, and my choir, sound normal. And make the others sound
different.

Pls see my notes via ftp kahless.isca.uiowa.edu in /pub/algo-comp/LinusLiu

Linus Liu.

>When DO you use a particular pitch, indeed, and what are the implications
>thereof? How do we find out the answer to this most ultimate of
>musical questions...and if, as Danielou suggests, the tempered scale
>is out of harmony with the natural laws of musical pitch organization
>(which, of course, we definitely know it is), what is the cumulative
>spiritual effect of all these out of jharmony (as opposed to out of
>tune) intervals? I am beginning to realize that this is perhaps the
>most important issue facing musicians in the world today.


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Thanks Coul for a part of a much bigger library on the subject I must have
seen. However, if it were true that we should try every kind of medicine
available when we are sick, then we don't need any more meals. I just aim
to play in tune.

Merry Christmas to everybody.

Linus Liu.

>While I was making additions to the bibliography, I saw some that may
>be of interest to Linus Liu if he isn't aware of them already.
>
>
>Barbieri, Patrizio. "Violin Intonation: A Historical Survey",
>_Early Music_ February 1991, pp. 69-88.
>
>Biock, Hans-Reinhard. _Zur Intonationsbeurteilung kontextbezogener
>sukzessiver Intervalle_. PhD diss., Musicology: U. Ko"ln, 1975. Ko"lner
>Beitra"ge zur Musikforschung vol. 82, Bosse Verlag, Regensburg, 1975,
>190 pages.
>
>Fricke, Jobst Peter. _Intonation und musikalisches Ho"ren_.
>Ko"ln, 1968.
>
>Garman, Barry Rex. _The effects of accompaniment texture and contextual pitch
>distance on string instrumentalists' intonational performance_. PhD diss.,
>Music, U. of Miami, 1992. 148 pages.
>
>Gratzki, Bettina. _Die reine Intonation im Chorgesang_. Verlag fu"r
>systematische Musikwissenschaft, Bonn-Bad Godesberg, 1993.
>
>Jensen, Arthur. _Ein praktischer Beitrag zur musikalischen
>Intonationslehre_. Schriften der Hochschule "Mozarteum" Salzburg, Bd. 2.
>Emil Katzbichler-Verlag, Mu"nchen/Salzburg, 1975.
>
>Loosen, Franz. "Intonation of solo violin performance with reference to
>equal-tempered, Pythagorean and just intonations", _J. Acoust. Soc. Am._
>vol. 93, 1993, pp. 525-539.
>
>Loosen, Franz. "Tuning of diatonic scales by violinists, pianists, and
>nonmusicians", _Perception & Psychophysics_ vol. 56, 1994, pp. 221-226.
>
>Ludeke, Rudolf. _Untersuchungen zur Intonation im Streichquartettspiel_.
>PhD diss., Musicology: U. Halle, 1975, 2 vols., 226 & 350 pages.
>
>Stu"ber, Jutta. _Die Intonation des Geigers_. Orpheus, Band 52,
>Verlag fu"r Systematische Musikwissenschaft, Bonn, 1989, 371 pages.
>
>Stu"ber, Jutta. _Mozarts Haydn-Quartette: Intonationsanalyse_.
>Orpheus, Band 57, Verlag fu"r Systematische Musikwissenschaft, Bonn, 1990,
>531 pages.
>
>Stu"ber, Jutta. _Beethovens Rasumovsky-Quartette op. 59.
>Intonationsanalyse_. Orpheus, Band 60, Verlag fu"r Systematische
>Musikwissenschaft, Bonn, 369 pages.
>
>Stu"ber, Jutta. _Schuberts Quartett "Der Tod und das Ma"dchen". Anleitung
>zur Intonationsanalyse_. Orpheus, Band 68, Verlag fu"r Systematische
>Musikwissenschaft, Bonn.
>
>Manuel Op de Coul coul@ezh.nl
>


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