Re: Brian's Gothic Symphony

All,

I have a score of Brian's Gothic. There are a *lot* of notes in it.

I used to be a member of the Havergal Brian Society - and from all what
I've read, Brian had very vivid dreams often with their images recorded in
his music - or at least the inspiration for it.

As for tuning - I know that Brian used a very extensive key range, and uses
keys as far flat as C double flat major and E sharp major. Also, he rarely
uses enharmonic shifts (hence some strange note sequences). I wonder what
implication for tuning this has on his music?

Mark G

>

you should not have brought that out in the presence of Johnny, he will have to have every player in NY playing this in a year or two

>
> From: "Mark Gould" <mark.gould@argonet.co.uk>
>
>
> As for tuning - I know that Brian used a very extensive key range, and uses
> keys as far flat as C double flat major and E sharp major. Also, he rarely
> uses enharmonic shifts (hence some strange note sequences). I wonder what
> implication for tuning this has on his music?
>
> Mark G
>
> ________________________________________________________________________
> _

> -- -Kraig Grady

North American Embassy of Anaphoria Island
http://www.anaphoria.com
The Wandering Medicine Show
KXLU 88.9 FM WED 8-9PM PST

hi Mark,

> From: Mark Gould [mailto:mark.gould@argonet.co.uk]
> Sent: Wednesday, July 30, 2003 2:16 AM
> To: tuning@yahoogroups.com
> Subject: [tuning] Re: Brian's Gothic Symphony
>
>
> All,
>
> I have a score of Brian's Gothic.
> There are a *lot* of notes in it.

where did you get that? and how can i get a copy?

-monz

How did you find that score?

I think Alkan wrote a Sonata effectively in E-sharp Major. -Justin

--- In tuning@yahoogroups.com, "Mark Gould" <mark.gould@a...> wrote:
> All,
>
> I have a score of Brian's Gothic. There are a *lot* of notes in it.
>
> I used to be a member of the Havergal Brian Society - and from all what
> I've read, Brian had very vivid dreams often with their images recorded in
> his music - or at least the inspiration for it.
>
> As for tuning - I know that Brian used a very extensive key range, and uses
> keys as far flat as C double flat major and E sharp major. Also, he rarely
> uses enharmonic shifts (hence some strange note sequences). I wonder what
> implication for tuning this has on his music?
>
> Mark G

> From: Justin Weaver [mailto:improvist@usa.net]
> Sent: Wednesday, July 30, 2003 9:07 AM
> To: tuning@yahoogroups.com
> Subject: [tuning] Re: Brian's Gothic Symphony
>
>
> How did you find that score?

i asked the same question, but didn't wait for a
response. instead i searched on my own and found it:

http://www.ump.co.uk/catscor.htm

> I think Alkan wrote a Sonata effectively in E-sharp Major. -Justin
>
> --- In tuning@yahoogroups.com, "Mark Gould" <mark.gould@a...> wrote:
> >
> > As for tuning - I know that Brian used a very extensive
> > key range, and uses keys as far flat as C double flat major
> > and E sharp major. Also, he rarely uses enharmonic shifts
> > (hence some strange note sequences). I wonder what
> > implication for tuning this has on his music?

Satie is another composer who has used very strange
note-spellings. in his very early _Sarabandes_ (1888),
for example, the 1st Saraband begins in Ab, and has
a key-signature of Ab, but very quickly modulates into
the key a semitone lower, which he spells as Bbb-major
(retaining the 4-flats signature).

i'd guess that the Satie Sarabandes are the most readily
available scores with very strange note-spellings.

i tried doing a JI retuning of the 1st one several years
ago, but didn't get very far with it. his harmonic
language is using lots of beautiful "dominant-9th" chords,
and tuning the 7ths as harmonic-7ths threw the chord
progressions off into some "in-the-cracks" keys that
sounded really out of tune. someday i'd like to go
back to that project, using a temperament or adaptive-JI
this time around.

-monz

--- In tuning@yahoogroups.com, <monz@a...> wrote:
> > From: Justin Weaver [mailto:improvist@u...]
> > Sent: Wednesday, July 30, 2003 9:07 AM
> > To: tuning@yahoogroups.com
> > Subject: [tuning] Re: Brian's Gothic Symphony
> >
> >
> > How did you find that score?
>
>
> i asked the same question, but didn't wait for a
> response. instead i searched on my own and found it:
>
> http://www.ump.co.uk/catscor.htm

Good! Of course, a free .sib file or something of that sort would be
nice.

I think the thing with both Alkan and Satie is that these guys were practical jokesters
and they enjoyed getting musician's goats by throwing in outrageous forests of
double sharps and flats... Vexations by Satie is the ultimate example. I pretty sure
Satie didn't have any hidden tuning agenda there. -Justin

>
>
> Satie is another composer who has used very strange
> note-spellings. in his very early _Sarabandes_ (1888),
> for example, the 1st Saraband begins in Ab, and has
> a key-signature of Ab, but very quickly modulates into
> the key a semitone lower, which he spells as Bbb-major
> (retaining the 4-flats signature).
>
> i'd guess that the Satie Sarabandes are the most readily
> available scores with very strange note-spellings.
>
> i tried doing a JI retuning of the 1st one several years
> ago, but didn't get very far with it. his harmonic
> language is using lots of beautiful "dominant-9th" chords,
> and tuning the 7ths as harmonic-7ths threw the chord
> progressions off into some "in-the-cracks" keys that
> sounded really out of tune. someday i'd like to go
> back to that project, using a temperament or adaptive-JI
> this time around.
>
>
> -monz