Scriabin and our geometric microtonality

Anton Rovner sent me the following missive... I was rather surprised
that, apparently, Scriabin had been flirting with some of the ideas,
including the presentation of microtonality through geometry, that
have been presented and studied on this list!

Here's the letter!:

Dear Joseph,

A while ago, I have sent to Johnny Reinhard these quotations from
Sabaneyev's book "Remembrances of Scriabin", published in 1925 (and
reprinted in 2000). I just thought that since you put my report on
Protopopoff on the Tuning List, perhaps you could put these up too. I
should lret you know that a couple of months ago I have temporarily
unsubscribed from the Tuning List for the single reason of some
weighty problems with my computer, but I do plan to re-subscribe
sometime soon and join the interesting discussions. In the meantime,
I think that the other members of the Tuning List would be very
interested in these musings on microtonality, so I would be grateful
if you could post this as well.

First quotation - Sabaneyev writes about Scriabin playing his Eighth
Sonata for him:

"In this sonata he especially liked the multi-layered harmonies
featuring nine pitches.
'Here I allready have nine-pitched chords,' he said joyfully, 'this
is how they go and according to this principle. It is always
important that the harmony would certain principle. By now I already
have a certain feeling that these harmonies do not fit into this
temperament. I need to invent some kinds of signs for these sounds.
Before, when I did not have notes repeat so often in my harmonies, it
was easier. I could indicate everything. But now I feel that in my
harmonies there could result two sounds, for which you <couldn't
find> (italicized) a different indication. For instance, this ninth
should be <lower than the standard one and much lower>
(italicized)...'

'It is something like the seventeenth overtone' I said to him.
'Maybe it is something of that sort... I feel that I can find these
sounds in nature, that they <have existed before> (italicized). Just
as the bell-like sounds from the Seventh Sonata...

Once I have explained briefly to Alexander Nikolayevich about the
theory of overtones and indicated that linear bodies have a simple
harmonic series of overtones, while bodies with width and breadth
already have much more complex series... Alexander Nikolayevich was
greatly interested in this.
'This means that each geometric shape has a corresponding harmonic
system,' he concluded. 'So what does this mean? That eachharmony
contains a form, which depicts it - this is <extremely interesting!>
(italicized) It is a bridge between music and geometry...' "

Second quotation: Scriabin shows Sabaneyev fragments from the music
of the Prefatory Action:

"He came up to the piano to show me the 'new harmonies', which he had
created. They had an abundance of notes in them, though their basis
was similar to the harmonies of 'Prometheus'.
'Here I already need some kind of notation, since I feel that these
are not the usual sounds... Who knows, I might even have to <invent
instruments> (italics)!' he said, almost with a shudder. 'I am
thinking of indicating <with numbers> (italics) the signs for raising
the pitches, when they cannot be indicated with sharps and flats. For
instance, if I would need the seventh overtone, I would write the
number 7... What do you think of that?'
I thought that this question of notation was so complex, that it was
not possible to limit oneself merely to numbers. I told him:
'You will first have to conceive your harmonies, Alexander
Nikolayevich, by trying them out on an instrument with the most
sensitive type of temperation, and only then you could creat the
notation for this temperament. Otherwise you would notate something
different from what you need or what you think.'
Alexander Nikolayevich was evidently not satisfied with this
decision. As I understood, he wanted an instant solution to the
problem - this instant and here on the spot - rather than to invent
some kind of new instrument.
'But I do not have any time to wait!' he said impatiently. 'I ned to
be able to notate <already now> (italics). I feel here, for instance,
that this sound (he played his new harmonic chord) is higher than G-
sharp and lower than A. So how could I notate it? I <think> (italics)
that this is the eleventh overtone from the pitch D, and I want to
express it as a harmonic note... Isn't that good?'
I saw that this was <not good> (italics), but his forcefulness was
too swift and that he demanded momentous advice.
'Do you want me to think about it and propose to you a system of
notation?' I said to him.
'That is exactly what I need and very soon... Oh, I would be so
obliged to you, Leonid Leonidovich! You don't even know, how greatly
this would ease my burden"

Third quotation: (Next page from the previous quotation.)

"He looked thoughfully: apparently the question of notating movements
was for him in an even more primitive condition than the question of
notating ultrachromatic sounds. His thought, in all possibility, ran
ahead of the real work - it was clear from the fact that, in all
essence, he did not have any use of the new notation up to the very
end and the sketches for the 'Prefatory Action' fit just as perfectly
into our twelve-equal temperament, just like the symphony of gestures
and movements did not go any further in its details than the
condition of the 'color symphony' of Prometheus. These were all
glimmerings of thoughts, some kind of unformed projects, but not
realizations. Nevertheless, I have invented for him a notation for
pitches and have demonstrated it for him. The notation was in several
projects: one was based on the 53-noe scale, while the other one was
approximate - quarter-tone. He liked the first project better.
'This is better because it is more exact, and, moreover, I obtain
<pure> (italics) intervals, which is very important... You know, I
think that I could dispense without building a new instrument. I
already know all of these sounds - they already sound for me' he
said 'while in violins and in strings you could fixate them, just
like with a voice. It is true, though, that one needs to learn those
for a long time, and to re-educate musicians, but this would be
necessary anyway. I would require a totally different type of
playing. Each musician would be a <participant> (italics) of the
action and not just a musician. They would be required to create
gestures of some kinds. They would need to play occasionally in such
a way, as if feeling each sound, as if <caressing> (italics) it.'
And Alexander Nikolayevich depicted on an imaginary violin, how this
problematic violinist would play, carressing the sounds...
'These tremolando effects, they make up the ultra-chromatic trill -
they would be added here as part of the conception... It seems that
the wind and brass instruments too are capable of intermediary
sounds, trombones definitely, but I think that any wind or brass
instrument could raise minimally and lower pitch... So no new
instruments are necessary at all, especially complex ones. Because
the more complex an instrument is, the less direct in its effect it
is, the more mechanical qualities and rational plan it has and less
mysticism, less <astral quality> (italics). The voice and the violin
are the most perfect instruments' Scriabin unexpectedly concluded,
notwithstanding the fact that he wrote a whole body of literature for
the 'rational' instrument, the piano, and not a single piece for
voice or violin."

Best,

Anton