Web site update

Hi, all! I'm still heavily distracted from the music work I want to
do, but have found time to update my web site,

http://www.idcomm.com/personal/jadl/

With versions of some of the "old favorites" retuned using my latest
adaptive methods. Included are:

br-ps-03.zip Brahms Piano Sonata #3, three tunings.
br-ps-02.zip Brahms Piano Sonata #2, three tunings.
br-ps-01.zip Brahms Piano Sonata #1, three tunings.
br-pv24.zip Brahms Piano variations, Op. 24, three tunings.
br-bal10.zip Brahms Ballades, Op. 10, three tunings.
br-pv212.zip Brahms Piano Variations in D, Op. 21 no. 2, three
tunings.
br-pv211.zip Brahms Piano Variations in D, Op. 21 no. 1, three
tunings.
sb-imp90.zip Schubert Impromptus, Op. 90, three tunings.
dream12.zip Five pieces in 12-tET:
Albeniz-Godowsky "Tango", sequenced by Robert Finley
Schubert "Fantasia in C", Op. 15, sequenced by M C Bucknall
Gershwin "Rhapsody in Blue" (two-hand piano), sequenced by Gary
D. Lloyd
Ravel "Le Tombeau de Couperin", sequenced by Gary D. Lloyd
Beethoven, Piano Sonata, Op. 90, provided by Jay Williams
dream5.zip Same five pieces in 5-limit adaptive JI.
dream7.zip Same five pieces in 7-limit adaptive JI.
b-b-b.zip Bach/Busoni Chaconne in D- with variations, three
tunings.
be-ps-08.zip Beethoven "Pathetique" sonata, three tunings.
d894.zip Schubert Piano Sonata in G, D894, three tunings.

Each zip file contains a .txt file of the same name describing its
contents.

The list's own Herman Miller has kindly sent me a number of sequences
which I will include as soon as he confirms it's ok.

JdL

[Paul Erlich:]
>...have you tried the approach that seemed like a "breakthrough" in our
>last discussions; namely, calculating the optimal fixed-12-pitch
>tuning, and then using that as the "grounding" for the springs in the
>final adaptive tuning calculation?

No, I actually haven't touched the program since early February, such
are the other demands on my life at the moment. You will recall that
I'm pretty content with "grounding" to 12-tET, though I know you
disagree! But I DO want to give the idea a try, when, if...

>"Tombeau" is one of my all time favorites (not the orchestral version,
>though).

My sentiments as well, on both counts. I listen to a CD I've made of
it, in seven, quite frequently. Go Ravel!

I'm also in love with the Brahms piano sonatas, which oddly aren't that
well known in classical music (or perhaps I just haven't tripped across
them before...).

JdL

[I wrote:]
>>You will recall that I'm pretty content with "grounding" to 12-tET,
>>though I know you disagree!

[Paul Erlich:]
>Well, for most 19th century music, it probably makes very little
>difference, while for most 16th-17th century music, coming up with an
>adaptive JI rendition, it could reduce the retuning motions by almost a
>factor of 3, since the grounding would be close to a 1/4-comma
>meantone tuning.

Your point has merit, though I would quibble that, though I'm grounding
to 12-tET, my method does also allow for sharp reduction in retuning
motion by virtue of allowing retuning motion (reduction thereof) to
fight against the grounding.

What do you think of Dave Keenan's strong objection, just before he left
the list in April, referring to the idea of grounding to COFT values,
(see http://www.egroups.com/message/tuning/8232):

[Dave Keenan:]
>I thought it was kind of obvious. ... And wrong!

>The whole idea that there are only 12 notes is wrong (in general). So
>how could it make sense to spring them to _any_ fixed set of 12.

In the Bach/Busoni piece, Dave focused on scale degree 3 (D#/Eb) and
argued that a proper analysis of the piece would classify each scale
degree 3 as one or the other, and ground them separately.

For the older-style pieces, which CAN successfully be played in extended
meantone without experiencing a "diesis pump", it would make sense to
begin the analysis by mapping the piece onto extended meantone, thus
differentiating as many notes as needed to be, perform a COFT (constant
optimized fixed tuning) on all those notes (>12), then do an adaptive JI
calc grounded to those tunings.

Such a method doesn't appeal to me, however, simply because its scope is
so limited: it falls to pieces when challenged with later works that DO
have built-in diesis pumps. I'm still groping for the perfect answer,
ideally one which satisfies all of the following:

. One approach applies to pieces old and new, constrained and bold.

. Drift is controlled.

. Grounding is not artifically harsh or predisposed to a particular
tuning.

And grounding to 12 COFT'd notes might just be the best that is possible
within those constraints, Dave Keenan's objections notwithstanding.

JdL