Concerted effort, and compose yourself!

Wow... you're all still here!


left,left,left,leftI mean, I know that: I've
just been lurking...



---------------

Ed Foote asked:


> Where are the really good 500-600 seat recital halls in this
country?

> It is important that the hall be suitable for a music school, i.e.,
all

>kinds of instruments and voice, plus piano.

>

> I would appreciate any suggestions. They may send me to look at
some of

>these, so I would like to start with recommendations from those
possessed of

>the critical listening (thus the addresses on this mini-spam). The
tuning

>list can delve into such small increments of musical scale, surely that
is a

>group of people that really listen.


Good question - especially since the good 'ol US-of-A isn't known for
great chamber music size halls. People on the East Coast would probably
have a better take on it. I did just recently, through a high-end audio
friend, see an article about the following:


"Concert and Opera Halls: How They Sound" by Leo L. Beranek, 1996: The
Acoustical Society of America, ISBN 1-56396-530-5

$49.95; at bookstores or call 800-809-2247


Chapter subjects include: Acoustics and Music; Seeking A Common Language
For Musicians And Acousticians; World Concert Halls Ranked According To
Acoustic Quality; etc. The author is no punk: Harvard Dr., awards from
many acoustics societies, supervised the acoustic design of the UN
General Assembly back in 1947, etc.


The current issue of BBC Music magazine has an interesting, if much more
superficial, article on concert halls, more on the large side...


Me? Hey, no comparison: Wigmore Hall in London. Just heard a
mixed-ensemble chamber music concert there in January - absolute heaven
for listening and a real treat for the performers to play there as well.
I doubt the school will pop for the marble walls, but the dimensions and
layout of the room can't be beat. C'mon Ed - get 'em to send you on a
junket across the pond!


--------------------------------------------------------------------

Later, Adam Silverman disturbed the electrons to form the following:


>From this I can only assume that Drummond is not familiar with

>the opera of Richard Strauss, the play of Oscar Wilde, the biblical
source,

>etc. How embarrassing!


Very, if true. Assumptions are, eh, risky, no?


>Overall, the CD is worth buying for Elizabeth Brown's piece. As for

>Newband's future, I hope that an effort will be made to better
acquaint

>composers with the tuning concepts inherent in JI instruments as well
as

>the playing techniques involved. The work by LeBaron (as well as
Julia

>Wolfe's "Steam," not included here) exhibits a shallow relationship
with

>Partch's instruments; if Newband continues to commission new music
from

>established composers, this issue must be dealt with. Once it is,
perhaps

>they will establish themselves as a good force in bringing Just
Intonation

>music to the common composer.


Agreed, on the success/non-success of the venture so far. I recall one
*very* dismal 'collaboration' in San Diego years ago, with the
instruments ending up being so much 'ear candy'. Ugh.


That said, I wouldn't hold my breath. I know for a fact, having been (to
a degree, naturally) a composer myself that my attempts to harness the
possibilities of the Partch instrumental resources met with complete
non-wonderfulness. In spite of having played them for years, studied the
theory, played all of them - too deep to grasp at that point. But then
I'm not much of a composer, at least then; maybe now. Nope, they're gone
in NY. Crap. Next time...


Besides, these instruments weren't envisioned, built, cared for, composed
for, performed on JUST so they'd be around for every Joe Young Composer
to come and take a swipe at them! Frankly, I find that such efforts
cheapen the heritage of those items. We sometimes lose our perspective
(oh hell, I probably never *had* one) on how they came about - people
just think the instruments are here for everyone to use to their own
purpose. "Sonata No. 1 for Harmonic Canon, Blo-boy and Trombone". I
certainly hope Dean handles this equitably, and reaches out beyond the NY
inner circle of comps (there must be many deserving JI aesthetes out
there) but I wouldn't want to be in his shoes.


My guess is that if it all works out, the "good force" will bring Just
Intonation music to the *exceptional* composer. Pedestrian efforts will
come up short. And maybe folks will view it (the Partch instrumentarium)
not as a "Bert's U-Rent Microtonal Instrument Barn", but as an
inspiration to do something original themselves. Then again, maybe not.



Ouch. I just fell off the soapbox.... . . . . . .


Nice seeing you all again. Stay in touch!


Cheers,

Jon

*------------------------------------------------------------------*

Jonathan M. Szanto | New and Unproved . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Corporeal Meadows | . . . . . . . . . Son of Corporeal Meadows!

jszanto@adnc.com | http://www.adnc.com/web/jszanto/welcome.html

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>So they decided to see how music might stimulate the
>brain. They played a Mozart piano sonata to students before an IQ test, and
>the average score went up 10 points or so.

That one of the hardest problems in IQ testing of signing apes, like the
lowland gorilla Ko-Ko, is that it's hard to explain to them that their task
is to answer the questions as quickly and accurately as possible, so that
they'll get as high as score as they're capable. Most of the time, they
just take it as another fun little game, and use it as another opportunity
to joke and play with the psychologist.

It's not totally impossible that part of the reason why Mozart's music
could have this effect, is that it puts subjects into a mood appropriate
for IQ testing - calm and inquisitive in part. Stockhausen, or in a
different way, Ted Nugent, might have a different effect.



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