Bela Bartok and Microtonality

In explaining how atonal music treats each tone independently of the
other, Bartok writes in a 1920 essay published by the University of
Nebraska Press (p. 459, 1976):

"The time for a further splitting of the semitone (perhaps an infinity?)
will ultimately come, perhaps not in our time but in future decades or
centuries. But it wil have to surmount immense technical difficulties,
such as the modification of the structure of keyboard and percussion
instruments, not to mention the intonation difficulties for the human
voice and all those instruments whose tones are partly produced by
fingering. These difficulties will in all probability prolong the life of
the semitone system for a greater length of time than will be artistically
needed." Bela Bartok

Works for me. :)

Johnny Reinhard
American Festival of Microtonal Music - MicroMay '97 (May 16, 21-23)
318 East 70th Street, Suite 5FW
New York, New York 10021 USA
(212)517-3550/fax (212) 517-5495
reinhard@idt.net
http://www.echonyc.com/~jhhl/AFMM/


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Johnny Reinhard's quote from Pablo Casals reminds me of what Jascha Heifetz
said once (which I hope I recall correctly). When playing double stop
octaves, he claimed that playing them absolutely perfectly in tune caused
the upper note to "disappear." He therefore played his octave double stops
slightly out of tune, which he said was more pleasing to the ear.

Bill

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