Instruments in 1/4 tone

In TD 823, John Chalmers asked me if Ivan Wyschnegradsky used trumpet or clarinet in 1/4 tone ?
Unfortunately, IW has not used trumpet or clarinet in 1/4 tone. IW composed with traditional
instruments. The most "unusual" instruments are Ondes Martenot or Balalaika (opus 27).
He has learned to play Balalaika when he was in Russia, with a gardener, beside the "watch"
of his mother (That's what he said in his memories- unpublished). IW have leaved St Petersbourg
the 9 march 1920 with his family.
In his work, he used violin (with 1/3, 1/4, 1/6, 1/8 ton - e.g. Opus 6), cello (with 1/3, 1/4,
and 1/6 tone - e.g. Opus 7), pianos (with 1/4, 1/3, 1/6 and 1/12 tone - many many opus),
string quartet (with 1/4 tones), Ondes Martenot and a piece for Adriaan Fokker 's organ
in 31-tet).
In 1920, IW wanted to build a piano in 1/4-tones. He went to the Pleyel factory in Paris.
They decided to build a piano with "transmission pneumatique". In 1921, IW received this
piano. But he was not satisfied. He want a "real piano" in 1/4 tone (He said "real" piano
in his memories). He asked Straube factory to build for him a Moelledorf's harmonium and
decided to go to Germany. In Germany, (where he stay from 25 january 1922 to 10 february)
he met W. Moellendorf, R. Stein, A. Haba and J. Mager. They discussed how to make a 1/4-tone
piano. IW returned in Germany and stayed a long time (26 July 1922- 4 april 1923). He met
Grotian-Steinweg factory and August Foerster factory. The Grotian-Steinweg factory was
ready to build a new instrument but they and IW was not agree on how to make it.
So, when IW came
back in France on April 1923, no instrument were planed. Alois Haba, who leaved in Germany,
met Gehrard F"orster, and decided to build a 1/4-tone piano with 3 manuals as IW highly
recommanded it. In 1924, Alois Haba had his new instrument. Latter, in 1927, IW asked
Foerster to build a 1/4-tone piano. In 1929 the piano arrived to Paris. (It is now in
the Museum at La Vilette, Cite des Sciences et de la Musique, Paris).
IW had made many experiments on his piano but in 1936 he thought that it was better to
tune two pianos (one normally, the second a 1/4 tone higher) to produce quarter tones
three pianos (one normally, a piano a 1/3 tone higher, another piano a 1/3 tone lower) to
produce 1/3 tone, and so on... for 1/6 and 1/12 tones. At that time, he revised all his scores
and writed again his scores for n-pianos. He thought that it was more easily to have a
specific tuning on a traditionnal piano than to move a 1/4-tone piano (which need to be tuned
again).

After 1936, IW never think of new instruments in 1/n - tones. In his writings, he said that
the problem of instruments factory will be solved by a new concept the "instrument mecanique".
He writed music for the instruments of his friends.
Some piece for the Julian Carrillo pianos (opus 44 and 48) and a piece for the Adriaan
Fokker's organ in 1959 (opus 42).
Julian Carrillo (1875-1965) had made 15 "pianos metamorfoseadores" : One in 1/3-tone, another
in 1/4-tone, another in 1/5-tone,etc... a last one in 1/16-tone.
These pianos are a traditionnal pianos but some strings are changed in order
to be able to have a tuning in 1/3, 1/4, ... 1/16 tone. In 1/16, you
have only one octave tune in 1/16-tone. The pianos have been build by the Sauter Compagny
and was exposed in Paris in 1955 and in Bruxelles (Belgian) at the Exposition Universelle
in 1958. You could see this pianos in Mexico. JC had given the 1/3-tone piano and the
1/16-tone piano to Jean-Etienne Marie. They are at the Cite des Sciences. Martine Joste
and Sylvaine Billier played on this pianos.


At the opposite, Alois Haba dreamed of a new orchestra with new 1/n-tones instruments.
In 1924, AH asked the Kohlert factory to build for him three clarinet in 1/4-tones on a
design of Richard Stein.
He used clarinet in 1/4-tone in
opus 24 : Suite # 1, for 1/4-tone clarinet and piano, 1925
opus 35 : Die Mutter Opera, 1929-1930
opus 55 : Suite, for 1/4-tone clarinet, 1943
AH also contacted Friedrich A. Heckel Factory (at Dresde) and asked them to build 2 trompets
in 1/4-tone with chromatic valves.
He used this trompett in :
opus 56 : Suite, pour trompette et trombone, 1943
AH has also asked for a 1/4-tone guitar. He used it in :
opus 51 : Kinderstimmingen, 8 compositions for voice and guitar, 1938-1942
opus 53 : Poesie des Lebens, 12 lieder for soprano and guitar, 1943
opus 54 : Suite for guitar, 1943
opus 63 : Suite for guitar, 1946
In 1939, Foerster had build a 1/6-tone harmonium. He had write his opus 37 before to have this
instrument :
opus 37 : Sechs Kompositionen, for 1/6-tone harmonium, 1929-1930.
Also, AH used traditionnal instruments (violin, alto, cello and contrebasse) to produce
micro-intervals. In particular, the opus 98 String quartet # 16 was written for 1/5-tone
in 1967. (AH had written no other piece in 30-tet).

The AH Instruments are at Prague. You could see some pictures in the Sigrun Schneider 's book.

--franck




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