21st Century Orchestral Instruments

Dear Tuning,

As I think most of you are aware, over the last year or so I have
been writing a discussion paper entitled:

21st Century Orchestral Instruments
Acoustic instruments for Alternative Tuning Systems

At last, a version of this is now complete.

The paper is aimed at a wide range of people and organisations:
instrument makers and manufacturers, composers, performers,
acousticians and technologists.

I have also won a Winston Churchill Fellowship to travel in the USA
and Europe for 10 week to research this further. My (current)
itinerary in the USA is New York, Boston, Chicago, Madison, SF, LA,
and San Diego, and Lafayette (Louisiana) (not necessarily in that
exact order). This will run from about 5th October to early
November.

In Europe the trip will take in various cities in France, Germany
and Holland - and I am still trying to establish further
contacts. This will be mid November to mid December.

The purpose of the trip is to discuss new ideas for acoustic
instruments with instrument makers and manufacturers; and to discuss
whether contemporary musicians support the idea that the 'classical
instrumentarium' would benefit from new acoustic (or adapted versions
etc) as well as new electronic instruments. It would seem that if
there is adquate consensus on this then there would be considerable
value in establishing a 'network' of interested contributors in
various different fields - and a 'Centre' or group of centres to
co-ordinate research and development.

Unfortunately my plans for this trip are running very much behind
schedule, partly due to the difficulties of writing the paper while
doing a full-time job, partly due to family problems. (For a long
time I thought I would have to cancel the trip and abandon the
grant...)

I would enjoy meeting as many people on the trip as possible - from
each of the areas listed (composers, performers, instrument makers
etc). Even at this late stage, I would still be very grateful if any
of you can me in touch with open minded acoustic instsument makers
and others who might be interested - especially in Europe, where I
have had less luck in making a large number of constructive contacts.
(Due to time limits - email addresses and telephone numbers, where
possible, would be extremely helpful: they will be treated in
complete confidence).

I am hoping to create as soon as possible the simplest webpage
so the discussion paper can be downloaded easily, and everyone can
have alook at it.

20 hardcopies of the paper are due to be printed tomorrow, and I will
mail these to folks who have been especially helpful over the last
year. Unfortunately I cannot send free hardcopies to everyone
because of the cost. However, I will certainly create bound
hardcopies on request for anyone who wants one, if they will
contribute something toward the cost of printing, binding and
postage. The text is about 180 pages including appendices; each
copy currently costs about 9-12 pounds sterling to produce and send
(depending where you are). I'm trying to find ways of reducing the
cost, and will be mailing reduced versions of the text to individuals
at various universities and research institutues in the hope of
generating general interest.

Please note that the 'tuning theory' element of the paper is
introductory; similarly, the paper does not go into the real
nitty-gritty of acoustics. I am a composer (and pianist), not a
tuning theorist, instrument maker, or acoustician. I have written
the paper from a 'generalist's' viewpoint in the hope of interesting
a broader audience in the subject of alternative tunings. It is also
written from the point of view that the instruments of the orchestra
(obviously not their technique) have more or less ossified since the
late 1800's, and from the position that electronic musical
instruments are unlikely to 'replace' acoustic instruments in the
near future. Therefore, it would seem that there would be much
value in directing a proportion of public funding for musical
instrument research toward acoustic as well as electronic research
domain. (Well, it's not quite a simple as that, of course...)

The major theme of the paper is the implications of alternative
tuning systems (ATS) for future acoustic instrumental innovation.

If it you would like to meet me on the trip, or can suggest others to
meet, instruments to view, concerts to go to, institutes at which
to present a seminar, museums holding instruments of special
interest.... I would be very grateful if you would contact me as soon
as possible. Please respond to:

******** pol@c21-orch-instrs.demon.co.uk ***********

(NOT the address I am writing from).

I should also mention that London Guildhall University has
expressed interest in hosting the project in a 'Centre for New
Musical Instruments'. This is very preliminary, and little
as yet has happened in this respect.

My sincere thanks go to all those on the list who have helped,
cajoled, and criticised..... Your help, and the daily reminder that
there are many on this list who know much more than I about many
aspects of these subjects... has helped to focus the paper
considerably.

Patrick Ozzard-Low, Alternative Tuning Projects, UK
pol@c21-orch-instrs.demon.co.uk
Tel: (44) - 01603 - 614380

Last thought: if it would be at all useful to send small portions
of the paper to the list - say on a weekly basis... please let me
know. I certainly don't want to flood the list with what is
merely one aspect of this vast subject. My plan to create a forum
specifically about new _instruments_ for ATS is as yet still in
abeyance...

I wrote,

>5) A major, A-flat major, C minor, and C-sharp minor give approximate
5-limit just intonation, in a >fashion analogous to the late Gothic
keyboard tuning.

I meant the _keys_ that are conventionally called A major, A-flat major,
C minor, and C-sharp minor, not (just) the _chords_ that go by those
names. Each of the keys has a consonant I, IV, and V chord which are
mutually exclusive from those of the other keys; hence there are 12
consonant 5-limit triads in this 12-out-of-22 keyboard mapping.

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End of TUNING Digest 1514
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