RE: [tuning] Variable Medieval thirds(!!)

Joseph Pehrson wrote,

>So far, the most incredible aspect of these articles for me, is a
>discussion of the "unstable" major and minor thirds of Pythagorean
>tuning resulting from the syntonic comma...

The syntonic comma didn't really come into play until later, when the
5-limit tunings were introduced.

>Apparently composers at that time EXPLOITED the comma... using it as an
>integral part of composition. Only LATER was it considered a "bug,"
>i.e. something to be "ironed out."

Hmm . . . I wouldn't say they exploited the comma, only that they exploited
the dissonance of the Pythagorean thirds, not knowing that future
generations would use the just thirds only a comma away as consonances.

In the 1400s, when the latter were introduced, composers did exploit the
felicitous closeness of the Pythagorean comma to the syntonic comma, in
order to get quasi-just thirds out of Pythagorean tuning. In other words,
they exploited the schisma. Is that what you meant by using the comma as an
integral part of composition? Before 1400, I doubt you could justify such a
claim.