New version of Java Microtuning Organ

Hello,

Thanks to the remarks of some of you (for which I am very grateful!),
I have been able to release an improved version of Java Microtuning Organ.

see http://www.jedosoft.info
or (the same)
http://www.geocities.com/jeroendonkers/JMTOrgan/

New features:
1) open and import scala .scl files and (with some restrictions)
keyboard mapping files. The mapping is restricted to a maximum of 12
degrees per octave.

2) open and playback midi files. During playback you can switch forth
and back between temperaments. The retuned midi file can be saved
seperately.

3) improved and much easier configuration setup

Keep in mind that the goal of the program is not to offer the most
advanced options in microtuning nor the most elaborate virtual organ,
but a simple program that provides the experience of microtuning to
all musicians or music students. (A friend of my has a rather advanced
education as an organist, but never had any experience with, say,
quarter meantone). I would like very much to have this program used in
music schools.

I included some example mp3 files that I created with JMTOrgan and
Synthfont: the 22nd prelude of WTC1 in B-flat minor - In my opinion,
Werckmeister III is not well suited for this prelude. The friction is
at the wrong places. I prefer Lehman's temperament to which I keep
tuning my (real) harpsichord. (I am sure there must have been a large
deal of discussions on this temperament on the list.)

see: http://www.geocities.com/jeroendonkers/JMTOrgan/examples.html

The piece by William Byrd sounds almost like magic in quarter meantime
and is unbareable for me in equal temperament.

regards,

Jeroen Donkers

Jeroen Donkers wrote:

> I included some example mp3 files that I created with JMTOrgan and
> Synthfont: the 22nd prelude of WTC1 in B-flat minor - In my opinion,
> Werckmeister III is not well suited for this prelude. The friction is
> at the wrong places. I prefer Lehman's temperament to which I keep
> tuning my (real) harpsichord. (I am sure there must have been a large
> deal of discussions on this temperament on the list.)
> > see: http://www.geocities.com/jeroendonkers/JMTOrgan/examples.html
> > The piece by William Byrd sounds almost like magic in quarter meantime
> and is unbareable for me in equal temperament.

I actually created a temperament specifically for this prelude, if I can find it anywhere (that was long before I had or knew about Scala). Actually, I've been thinking this would be another good temperament comparison if we hadn't had so many of those already. I got as far as turning on the Record button in Cakewalk and realized it's been too long since the last time I played it, and I'm out of practice. But I've played this in Werckmeister III before and I remember what that sounded like. Not one of the best keys for that temperament, in my opinion.

--- In tuning@yahoogroups.com, Herman Miller <hmiller@...> wrote:
>
> Jeroen Donkers wrote:
>
> > I included some example mp3 files that I created with JMTOrgan and
> > Synthfont: the 22nd prelude of WTC1 in B-flat minor - In my opinion,
> > Werckmeister III is not well suited for this prelude. The friction
is
> > at the wrong places. I prefer Lehman's temperament to which I keep
> > tuning my (real) harpsichord.

> I actually created a temperament specifically for this prelude, if I
can
> find it anywhere (that was long before I had or knew about Scala).

Here's a version in 31-et:

http://www.xenharmony.org/mp3/misc/wtc1-22pre.mp3

--- In tuning@yahoogroups.com, "Gene Ward Smith" <genewardsmith@...>
wrote:
>
> --- In tuning@yahoogroups.com, Herman Miller <hmiller@> wrote:
> >
> > I actually created a temperament specifically for this prelude, if I
> can
> > find it anywhere (that was long before I had or knew about Scala).

Hmm. Some people think that this was first composed in G minor or some
other 'simple' key and transposed. What was the motivation for
creating a special temperament for just one of the '48'?

> Here's a version in 31-et:
>
> http://www.xenharmony.org/mp3/misc/wtc1-22pre.mp3
>

That's a rather fascinating timbre! - somewhat like an Italian octave
spinet. Where did you get it?

The Prelude is quite unobjectionable in that tuning - rather more
relaxed and meditative than the 'well-temperaments' we're used to. It
doesn't actually use any enharmonic pairs (though the Fugue runs to E
and Fb).

~~~T~~~

--- In tuning@yahoogroups.com, "Tom Dent" <stringph@...> wrote:

> > Here's a version in 31-et:
> >
> > http://www.xenharmony.org/mp3/misc/wtc1-22pre.mp3
> >
>
> That's a rather fascinating timbre! - somewhat like an Italian
octave
> spinet. Where did you get it?

That's one of the classic harpsichord fonts that has been around for
a few years, German 8. It's due to John Sankey and from this:

http://www.personalcopy.com/sfonts.htm

...maybe you must get it in email now. Anyway, the version I have is
a little larger.

> The Prelude is quite unobjectionable in that tuning - rather more
> relaxed and meditative than the 'well-temperaments' we're used to.
It
> doesn't actually use any enharmonic pairs (though the Fugue runs to
E
> and Fb).

The Prelude turned out to be one of those pieces which fits inside of
a shifted gamut.

--- In tuning@yahoogroups.com, "Gene Ward Smith" <genewardsmith@...>
wrote:

> That's one of the classic harpsichord fonts that has been around for
> a few years, German 8.

Sorry; I checked again and what I actually used was another classic
font, Campbell's Harpsichord Tuned ("tuned" meaning someone else
carefully adjusted the tuning to exact 12-et so it could better serve
in such enterprises than this.) This used to be available on Hammer,
but Hammer seems dead now. In general, it's harder to get sf2 fonts
than it used to be.

Tom Dent wrote:
> --- In tuning@yahoogroups.com, "Gene Ward Smith" <genewardsmith@...>
> wrote:
>> --- In tuning@yahoogroups.com, Herman Miller <hmiller@> wrote:
>>> I actually created a temperament specifically for this prelude, if I >> can >>> find it anywhere (that was long before I had or knew about Scala). > > Hmm. Some people think that this was first composed in G minor or some
> other 'simple' key and transposed. What was the motivation for
> creating a special temperament for just one of the '48'?

I think mainly because I wanted to see if I could come up with one that worked better than the available temperaments, which were a little unpleasant in this key; of the preludes in "distant" keys, this is probably the one I played most frequently.