Understanding expressive intonation

Research on intonation has mainly sought for classifying and/or expressive explanations for performers’ strategies. In the field of music psychology and music perception, such explanations have been explored in terms of interval direction, size, or type; in the field of performance analysis, to which this article belongs, investigation on intonation has been not only scarce but also limited to short excerpts. In this context, this article explores Pau Casals’ intonational practice specific to his recording of Bach’s E flat major prelude for solo cello. To do so, on the basis of exact empirical measurements, it places such practice alongside the cellist’s conscious, theoretical recommendations apropos what he called “expressive” string intonation, showing that the interpretation of the latter should is not straightforward. It also proposes several reference points and tuning systems which could serve as models for Casals’ practice and looks for explanations beyond simple interval classification. In this manner, it ultimately proposes a structural function for intonation, in partnership with tempo and dynamics. Similarly, it understands Casals’ intonational practice not as a choice between but as a compromise for multiple options in tuning systems (mostly equal temperament and Pythagorean tuning), reference points (the fundamental note of the chord and the immediately preceding tone), the nature of the compositional materials (harmonic and melodic), and, most importantly, structure and expression.

Vinay Mishra and the Artistry of the Harmonium

Vinay Mishra is an accomplished Indian solo and accompanying harmonium player born and brought up in Benaras and currently residing in Delhi serving as a faculty member of the Department of Music, Faculty of Music and Fine Arts, University of Delhi. The rigorous training of both vocal and instrumental music under veteran Hindustani Music virtuosos, the academic and scholarly scope built up till the degree of PhD in Music, the realizations, and understandings on music must have conspicuously made an impact of his practice and artistry as a harmonium player. Harmonium was originated in the west and adopted by Indian musicians in the colonial era which was brought up to the present day through many artistic, cultural and political controversies, and obstacles. This work focuses on discovering the insights of the harmonium art of Vinay Mishra. Hence, his academic background, musical training, musical career, his playing style as a soloist, general techniques and techniques of accompaniment, sense of machinery, perspectives on raga Taal, and thoroughly the tuning methods were studied in-depth through personal conversations and literature resources where it was observed that modern Hindustani harmonium artists favor a typical natural tuning method over the 12 equal temperaments of the common keyboard instruments. According to him, the stable sound of the harmonium was the reason to be vocal music- friendly in classical and light vocal music accompaniment which was only interrupted by the equal temperament earlier and was later overcome by the artists and harmonium makers. The idea was also raised that apart from gaining the basic command of an instrument, a Hindustani instrumentalist may learn and practice all other aspects of Hindustani music from the teachers of other forms too. Vinay Mishra’s thoughts of machinery, musical forms, compositions, applying Hindustani vocal, and plucking string instrumental ornamentations on the Harmonium were also reviewed.

Numerus surdus y armonía musical. Sobre el temperamento igual y el fin del reinado pitagórico de los números

The development of philosophical ideas throughout history has sometimes been assisted by the use of handcrafted instruments. Some paradigmatic cases, such as the invention of the telescope or the microscope, show that many philosophical approaches have been the result of the intervention of such instruments. The aim of this article is to show the determining role that stringed musical instruments with frets had in the crisis and generation of philosophical paradigms. In fact, just as the observations of the moon with the telescope broke more than a thousand years of Aristotelian hegemony, the fretted string instruments, predecessors of the guitar, played a central role in the collapse of one of the most influential approaches in the history of Philosophy: Pythagorism. We focus on the fundamental hallmarks of Pythagorism and on how, during the 16th century and from the fretted string instruments, the mathematical-musical notion of equal temperament emerged, which from the middle of the 19th century will be established as the prevailing philosophical-musical paradigm of the West.

Effects of Tonic Drone Accompaniments on the Intonation of Collegiate Wind Instrumentalists

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of tonic drone accompaniments on the intonation of collegiate wind instrumentalists. Participants ( N = 68) played an excerpt of the melody “Long, Long Ago” in three conditions: a mono drone (tonic note only), dyad drone (tonic plus fifth), and a control condition (no drone). Results indicated no significant effects on intonation performance due to drone condition. However, participants’ ratings of their own intonation accuracy differed significantly based on drone condition. The majority of the performances of the melody aligned more closely with equal temperament ( n = 159), and fewer aligned more closely with just intonation ( n = 45). Most participants believed the dyad drone (59.74%) resulted in their best intonation accuracy, followed by the mono drone (28.57%) and the control condition (11.68%). In response to open-ended questions, participants cited reasons why they preferred particular drone conditions, with the most common themes being “easier to hear and match,” “multiple reference pitches,” and “focused/directed listening.” Given that participants expressed preferences regarding drone use in the absence of performance differences, music educators may consider the role of comfort and familiarity with these instructional tools.

Temperament and “Historical” Intonation: An Outline

The modern piano is tuned to a system known as equal temperament, in which all semitones are equal. This system is convenient because it enables the pianist to play in any key and, to the modern ear at least, in tune. To musicians from the Baroque period, the piano’s intonation would have sounded excruciatingly out of tune! This lesson explains the basics of temperament, what it is, why it is needed and how the modern performer can become comfortable with systems of intonation that existed in the Baroque era, whether the mathematics are understood or not. Topics such as “pure” intonation, meantone, the qualities of individual tonalities, flatter sharps, and sharper flats are discussed and there is an exercise comparing pure intonation with equal temperament. Clear practical guidance is given as to how to explore historical intonation by ear, using Leopold Mozart’s charts on overtones and the mysterious “phantom cellist.”

Temperament systems influence emotion induction but not makam recognition performance in Turkish makam music

We tested how induced emotions and Turkish makam recognition are influenced by participation in an ear training class and whether either is influenced by the temperament system employed. The ear training class was attended by 19 music students and was based on the Hicaz makam presented as a between-subjects factor in either unfamiliar Turkish original temperament (OT, pitches unequally divided into 24 intervals) or familiar Western equal temperament (ET, pitches equally divided into 12 intervals). Before and after the class, participants listened to 20 music excerpts from five different Turkish makams (in both OT and ET versions). Emotion induction was assessed via the 25-item version of Geneva Emotion Music Scales (GEMS-25), and participants were also asked to identify the makam that was present in the excerpt. The unfamiliar OT was experienced as less vital and more uneasy before the ear training class, and recognition of the Hicaz makam increased after ear training classes (independent of the temperament system employed). Results suggest that unfamiliar temperament systems are experienced as less vital and more uneasy. Furthermore, being exposed to this temperament system for just 1 hr does not seem to be enough to change participants’ mental representations of it or their emotional responses to it.

Renesaissance wind instruments with a double reed, part 2

The present article is the second part of the cycle aimed at collecting and arranging information about the Renaissance wind instruments with a double reed. The author discusses their history, structure, use, ranges, styles and secrets of their playing technique. An addition to the text are the illustrations presenting construction details and circumstances in which these instruments were used. In the previous issue of “Notes Muzyczny” Agnieszka Szwajgier presented instruments with an “open reed”, such as the shawm, rackett, dulcian or bassanello. In this part she presents instruments whose reed is protected with a so-called “cap”: crumhorn, cornamuse, kortholt or Rauschpfeife. The air is blown through a small hole in the arch of the instrument and a wooden capsule protecting the reed against damage allows it to freely vibrate. These instruments had a small tone range (within a ninth or a tenth), and the lack of contact with the reed made it impossible for performers to shape tone colour or influence the dynamics. That is why with time the instruments were no longer used and became replaced by instruments with a wider range and much greater capacities, such as baroque oboe or chalumeau. The author also touches on the issue of the compromise between the preserved proportions and size of instru- ments and the fact that modern-time performers count on comfort and convenience in playing, which entails a number of facilitations in the instruments’ construction, using plastic reeds, playing in equal temperament or having extra levers which extend the range of an instrument by a second or a third.

19-Tone Theory and Applications

Microtonal music is one of those subjects that has always been around, but few people have ever had the will to investigate it thoroughly. The main reason why more people have not dealt with microtonal music is that there are almost no instruments that allow composers to experiment with it. In spite of all this, the music of many cultures even at the present time employs non-equaltempered scales, and even Western music did until the eighteenth century, when mathematicians worked out the logarithmic basis of equal temperament. In this article, the author explains how he became interested in 19-tone equal temperament and how he explored the possible resources available in such a system. This involves creating a chord grammar based on similarity relationships, similar to what he has used in his music written in 12-tone equal temperament. Through these considerations he discovered a particular set of chords that have special properties in terms of their interval content, number of transpositions, and relationships to other chords. Finally, the author explains how he used these properties in the music he composed in this temperament.