Erv Wilson's Eightieth

I just wanted to take a moment to note that Erv Wilson had his eightieth birthday last month, an event that seems to have passed without other notice here. Like many others in the tuning community, my debt to Erv is real and large. The lessons at his kitchen table -- given entirely gratis -- were the foundation for explorations in tunings, keyboards, notations, and opened up broad questions about tonal musics that remain the substance of my musical work. My first lesson with Erv was when I was still in High School; I brought a few scores and several pitch lattices in which I had triangulated the 1-3-5 triads, with majors pointing upwards and minors pointing down. Of course, I considered myself especially clever for doing so, but that did not last long when Erv started drawing _his_ lattices. Wilson's house, one of the oldest in LA, filled with paper bags filled with corn and chenopod samples alongside metallophones and refretted guitars was a place in which important work took place in a modest way.

I consider Erv to be the most productive contributor to tuning theory and practice -- the subject in the quadrivium known as Harmonics -- in the 20th century even though he has never been a member of the music theory establishment and has disseminated his work chiefly through direct instruction rather than conventional publication. His "writings" are mostly in the form of elegant drawings and diagrams. Professionally, Wilson is from the last generation of industrial draughtsmen -- pre-CAD -- for whom handwork was so well trained that almost anything imaginable could be drawn by hand with a ruler, compass, and pencil, and Wilson's graphic imagination comes through in each of his tuning documents.

Many thanks to Erv!

Dr. Daniel Wolf
Composer, Frnakfurt

Thanks for the words, Daniel. I would have first met Erv,
in that case, about a month after his 70th. His house at
that time was just as you describe it. He must be in close
running with Partch and Fokker for the title of most
influential 20th-century microtonalist.

-Carl

--- In tuning@yahoogroups.com, "Daniel Wolf" <djwolf@...> wrote:
>
> I just wanted to take a moment to note that Erv Wilson had his
eightieth
> birthday last month, an event that seems to have passed without other
> notice here.

I'm sure, like many or most others, I had no idea when Erv was born,
or what his current age was/is. But he is one of the rare ones, and a
great source of inspiration to many people. We ought to also thank
Kraig Grady, who - with the cooperation of the good people and offices
of Anaphoria - has managed to archive and publish a lot of Erv's
writings (and drawings). In a way, it is a shame he isn't more known.
In another way, I think that is pretty special.

HB, EW!

Cheers,
Jon

When i last saw that table it was overflowing with one small little writing area in the middle. I can't tell you how much i miss dropping in on that spirit a couple times a month. It is what i miss most about leaving the states. as well as a regret for what he has given me, and not being able to pick up the few pieces i can in return.
The great thing about his work is that it sounds good. And he has managed to add to the field in ways that didn't exist before him.

CPS
The Meru Scales-
Moment of Symmetry and Constant Structures
plus other of worth

Few i think realize that he did all the diagrams in Genesis of a Music for Partch as well as giving him the double flute used in Delusion. Everyone benefits from his contact

-- I have about 100 pages that i hope to add to the archives soon. Mostly on the pro-prime grid. His work goes on......

/^_,',',',_ //^ /Kraig Grady_ ^_,',',',_
Mesotonal Music from:
_'''''''_ ^North/Western Hemisphere: North American Embassy of Anaphoria Island <http://anaphoria.com/>

_'''''''_ ^South/Eastern Hemisphere:
Austronesian Outpost of Anaphoria <http://anaphoriasouth.blogspot.com/>

',',',',',',',',',',',',',',',',',',',',',',',',',',',',',

<Sigh>...Someday I must make the pilgrimage to meet him.

-AKJ

--- In tuning@yahoogroups.com, Kraig Grady <kraiggrady@...> wrote:
>
> When i last saw that table it was overflowing with one small little
> writing area in the middle. I can't tell you how much i miss
dropping in
> on that spirit a couple times a month. It is what i miss most about
> leaving the states. as well as a regret for what he has given me, and
> not being able to pick up the few pieces i can in return.
> The great thing about his work is that it sounds good. And he has
> managed to add to the field in ways that didn't exist before him.
>
> CPS
> The Meru Scales-
> Moment of Symmetry and Constant Structures
> plus other of worth
>
> Few i think realize that he did all the diagrams in Genesis of a Music
> for Partch as well as giving him the double flute used in Delusion.
> Everyone benefits from his contact
>
> -- I have about 100 pages that i hope to add to the archives soon.
> Mostly on the pro-prime grid. His work goes on......
>
>
> /^_,',',',_ //^ /Kraig Grady_ ^_,',',',_
> Mesotonal Music from:
> _'''''''_ ^North/Western Hemisphere:
> North American Embassy of Anaphoria Island <http://anaphoria.com/>
>
> _'''''''_ ^South/Eastern Hemisphere:
> Austronesian Outpost of Anaphoria <http://anaphoriasouth.blogspot.com/>
>
> ',',',',',',',',',',',',',',',',',',',',',',',',',',',',',
>

--- In tuning@yahoogroups.com, Kraig Grady <kraiggrady@...> wrote:

> Few i think realize that he did all the diagrams in Genesis of a
Music
> for Partch as well as giving him the double flute used in Delusion.
> Everyone benefits from his contact
>
Yes, Erv did all of the diagrams which were added to the 2nd edition
of Genesis.

It was also Erv who also suggested the design for the Quadrangularis
Reversum, which made possible the up-and-down arpeggios between the
Quad and the Diamond Marimba that are so important to the Exordium of
Delusion of the Fury. (One assumes that Partch himself came up with
the added low 1/1 key, front and center on the imstrument with the
obvious imagery of its resonator!).

Partch also had Erv look through his new scores. At one point, in
Water, Water, I believe, Partch apparently couldn't figure out
exactly where his intuitive harmonic adventures were leading. Erv
pointed out that -- give or take or few cents -- he had briefly
modulated into the dominant key!

djw

--- In tuning@yahoogroups.com, "djwolf_frankfurt" <djwolf@...> wrote:
> Partch also had Erv look through his new scores. At one point, in
> Water, Water, I believe, Partch apparently couldn't figure out
> exactly where his intuitive harmonic adventures were leading. Erv
> pointed out that -- give or take or few cents -- he had briefly
> modulated into the dominant key!

Interesting. Maybe it is just a timeline burp, but Harry didn't meet
Erv until a couple years after "Water! Water!" had been premiered. So
this was a dominant revelation in arrears?

Cheers,
Jon

--- In tuning@yahoogroups.com, "Jon Szanto" <jszanto@...> wrote:

>
> Interesting. Maybe it is just a timeline burp, but Harry didn't meet
> Erv until a couple years after "Water! Water!" had been premiered.
So
> this was a dominant revelation in arrears?
>
> Cheers,
> Jon
>

Jon --

my phrasing was inelegant. Partch was just pointing out something in
a score that he didn't understand, not a new piece.

djw

--- In tuning@yahoogroups.com, "djwolf_frankfurt" <djwolf@...> wrote:
> my phrasing was inelegant. Partch was just pointing out something in
> a score that he didn't understand, not a new piece.

No worries at all, I was just checking to see if I somehow was off or
misunderstood. People ask me questions all the time about HP, and it
really is impossible to know everything...

Cheers,
Jon

Thanks for the kind words Margo. I still remember your visit in much pleasantness. Sorry we weren't able to meet more.
keep up the good music too.
--

/^_,',',',_ //^ /Kraig Grady_ ^_,',',',_
Mesotonal Music from:
_'''''''_ ^North/Western Hemisphere: North American Embassy of Anaphoria Island <http://anaphoria.com/>

_'''''''_ ^South/Eastern Hemisphere:
Austronesian Outpost of Anaphoria <http://anaphoriasouth.blogspot.com/>

',',',',',',',',',',',',',',',',',',',',',',',',',',',',',

Hi Jon,

Erv told me a story that I'm fond of repeating. He said that he was
in Mexico doing his usual thing he did down there, when he had a
brainstorm that he thought Harry would find intriguing. So, he
promptly jotted it down and got it into the next post.

Well, the letter came back rubber-stamped "DECEASED", and that was
how he learned that HP had passed away! The way he hiccuped when he
told me it, I've never forgotten.

It reminds me that we need to remember in our cyber world that these
people are out there doing stuff and getting dirty and washing up,
and making food, and laughing and crying and raging at whatever, and
we really ought to try and go and visit them and (bring them
some ;-)jam, or whatever. Cheers!

L,

P

--- In tuning@yahoogroups.com, "Jon Szanto" <jszanto@...> wrote:
>
> --- In tuning@yahoogroups.com, "djwolf_frankfurt" <djwolf@> wrote:
> > my phrasing was inelegant. Partch was just pointing out
something in
> > a score that he didn't understand, not a new piece.
>
> No worries at all, I was just checking to see if I somehow was off
or
> misunderstood. People ask me questions all the time about HP, and it
> really is impossible to know everything...
>
> Cheers,
> Jon
>