AFMM, day 3: May 22, 1997

American Festival of Microtonal Music
Day #3: "Ear Garden"
Columbia University's St. Paul's Chapel
New York, N.Y. May 22, 1997

Ear Garden opened with the minimalist classic "In C" by
Terry Riley. This version was performed using instruments
that are plucked: guitar, viola, harpsichord and kanon
(zither). At times the music seemed bathed in the
reverberant space of St. Paul's chapel, at other times,
the room was heard more then the instruments. Probably
the best seat in the house would be on your back, on
the floor at the feet of the performers. The performance
was beautiful, the effect of the chapel was nice, but it
obscured the best efforts of the performers.

"In C in Just Intonation" was premered by the AFMM in 1988.

just intonation guitars - John Schneider and Wim Hoogewerf
kanon - Skip LaPlante
harpsichord - Rebecca Pechefsky
viola - Anastasia Solberg
pulse guitar - Steve Antonelli

Luc Marcel's Beach Glass microtonalness came from
harmonics and multiphonics on the bassoon and glissando's
on the strings. After the quiet moments of In C, Beach
Glass was almost deafening. In fact maybe
the strings over powered the bassoon. There was some
fellow standing between the bassoonist and I, waving
his arms about. Perhaps if I had a
better seat, I would have heard the performance better.

conductor - Charles Zacharie Bornstein
bassoon - Johnny Reinhard
violin - Tom Chiu
viola - Anastasia Solberg
cello - David Eggar

Enbellie by Iannis Xenakis for solo viola was characteristic
of the composer's music. In fact, this version was more
expressive then any I've heard before. Lot of hard bowing
close to the bridge gave a dry tone where the tortured
harmonics jumped out. A tortured lull in the storm?
Alternately then, quiet high notes. My references inform
me that this is quartertone tuning.

viola - Anastasia Solberg

Sophia Gubaidulina's Duo Sonata for 2 Bassoons showed
what a pair of bassoons can do. Quartertones, harmonic
tunings and multiphonics. Quite the opportunity for circular
breathing and the chords between the two horns were
heavenly. I don't think I've heard anything like it.
Gubaidulina's music never fails to surprise.

bassoons - Frank Morelli and Johnny Reinhard



Johnny Reinhard's Odysseus Cello Concerto had it all.
Odyssus (David Eggar) and his soldiers wandered around
St. Paul's chapel for 30 to 40 min. During their travels they
discovered islands and strange beautiful instruments
in different tunings: polymicrotonality, Reinhard's term for
using more then one tuning.

Where else can you see microtonalist guitarists John Schneider and
Wim Hoogewerf kill a trombonist (Julie Josephson) with their
guitars, tear off chunks and eat them? They offered some to
Odysseus who politely refused with a shake of his head and a wave
of the hand.

Lotus Eater Island (blown winds) was in one balcony while Aiolius
(bagpipes) was in another.

Odysseus traveled to and from the underworld by sliding on his
back across the floor under the piano.

At one point, Odysseus played some walking bass while his band of
soldiers improvised some swinging microtonal jazz.

Two Sirens (Carol Flamm, Piera F. Paine) magically appeared in
the pulpit and sang while a third (Christine Coppola) danced a
wildly seductive dace to lure Odysseus.

No doubt Scylla and Charibdis (Jon Catler, just intonation guitar
and Eric Ross, therermin) scared Odysseus and his gang half to
death. What a racket!

There were many custom and/or rarely used instruments like 96
tone equal temperament harp, shofar, psalteries, just intonation
pedal steel guitar, large glass bowl in G, bansuri and shakuhachi
flutes, ocarina, bagpipes, tarogato, theremin, and conch shells.

Click here for a list of performers in the Odysseus Cello Concerto.

My picks: Enbellie, Duo Sonata for Two Bassoons and Odysseus.

Stay tuned for more...

db
5/27/97

The first two parts of this review are at url:
www.virtulink.com/immp/jux/j_index.htm

Information about the American Festival of Microtonal Music:
www.echonyc.com/~jhhl/AFMM/

From: SMTP%"tuning@eartha.mills.edu" 29-MAY-1997 02:50:23.90
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CC:
Subj: Re: modes

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Charles: The ancient Greek names for the heptatonic modes are correct
in your post. To avoid accidentals, the key of C major is
used and the various modes occur as octave species in the order
Mixolydian (B-b), Lydian (C-c), Phrygian (D-d), Dorian (E-e),
Hypolydian (F-f), Hypophrygian (G-g), and Hypodorian (a-a').

The extinct Ionian mode was a G mode and the Aeolian and Locrian
were A modes, but it is not known how these differed from the HP
and HD modes. The Mixolydian was also called Hyperdorian and the
lower A mode (on the note Proslambanomenos) was called Hypermixolydian
and Hyperphrygian. (In Argos, it was outlawed because it had no ethos of
its own, but was merely a lower octave repetition of the Hypodorian.)

Greek music was based on a 15-tone two-octave gamut running in our
notation from A-a-a', to which an accidental b-flat was added to
illustrate modulation at the fourth. This system could be taken
at various pitch levels (see below). The absolute pitch is not known
and may have been irrelevant in any case.

In musical practice, these modes were transposed so that the modal
patterns of all 7 species moved into the middle range of the two octave
system. Thus a system of pitch keys developed at roughly semitonal
intervals. These keys took the names of the modes and new names
(Hyperionian, etc.) were coined to complete a set of 15 keys or TONOI.

The center of the system was also changed from Dorian (E)
to Hypolydian (F) and two series of names were applied (high
and low Dorian, etc.).

In the Middle Ages, confusion arose between the keys and the modes
and the order of the modal names was reversed. Schlesinger attributes
this error to Boethius. Later, other ecclesiastical names were invented
as musical practice changed. The plagal/authentic distinction
developed at that time.

To avoid confusion, one should always specify whether Greek or
ecclesiastical nomenclature is being used unless the context is
clear.

--John