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1/1, the Journal of the Just Intonation Network, Spring 2004 David B. Doty Technical Writer/Technical Editor/Copyeditor 2751 Via Caballero Del Sur Santa Fe, NM 87505 505 • 473 • 1924 [email protected] Writing, Editing, and/or Design/Production Sample What: 1/1, The Journal of the Just Intonation Network, Spring 2004 My Role: Substantive Editor, Copyeditor, Some Illustration, Production Designer SPRING 2004 1 1 Volume 11, Number 4 THE JOURNAL OF THE JUST INTONATION NETWORK A PROJECT OF OTHER MUSIC, INC. Just Intonation and Music for Theatre by Alison Monteith One Friday in October, 2002, I received a phone call Unnamed (I’ll call it a septimal minor pentatonic): 1 7 4 3 7 2 from the secretary of the Scottish Borders Youth Theatre /1, /6, /3, /2, /4, /1 (BYT) asking me to provide music for a production of 1 16 7 4 22 47 9 2 Three Tales by Oscar Wilde. Their musical director had Kyai Udan Arum: /1, /15, /6, /3, /15, /30, /5, /1 pulled out at the eleventh hour and rehearsals started (harmonics 30, 32, 35, 40, 44, 47, 54) the next day, with performances the following Friday 1 13 7 17 3 19 7 2 Lou Harrison’s: /1, /12, /6, /12, /2, /12, /4, /1. and Saturday. (harmonics 12, 13, 14, 17, 18, 19, 21) Of the several options I had to offer, I proposed using my orchestra of tuned and untuned hand-built I liked the idea of using Harrison’s gamelan tunings instruments. We agreed on a fee and I suggested that for several reasons. First, it felt right to be tapping into the producer, John Haswell, take a look at my website that part of gamelan where the music accompanies some to get a better idea of what he was taking on. sort of dramatic action. Secondly, I had no time to com- My instruments were built in a period of enthusiasm pose large pieces of music (and few of the players could for the “DIY” ethos that characterizes the work of many read) so everything would be improvised. One way to of the pioneers of Just Intonation, such as Harry Partch get inside a mode or scale is to improvise for up to six and Lou Harrison. I had to work within the limitations hours a day for fi ve or six days. of my wood- and metal-working abilities and so I ended I placed several limitations on my choice of tunings. up with a range of slit drums, bamboo marimbas, zith- The septimal minor pentatonic was used as a general ers, long gongs, steel-tube metallophones, glass bowls, background commentary, avoiding direct reference to aluminum gongs, bowed psalteries, a huge thumb the action. It was played on a combination of steel- piano, and a random assortment of wood and metal tube metallophone and hammered zithers (high and p ercussion. low octave), with ostinatos on the large thumb piano. At our fi rst meeting John Haswell proved to be an Occasionally, I would point up some of the tension with enlightened soul in matters musical. He was enthusiastic a more lyrical line on the bowed psaltery, which allows about my proposal and was open to all suggestions. We subtle microtonal infl ections by string bending. Most of talked round the possibilities and decided to have the the fi ve tones could also be doubled on aluminum gongs 4 3 1 7 instruments visible on stage with different groups of and metal bars. The long gongs ( /3, /2, /1 [110 Hz], /6) actors playing throughout the performance under my provided drones and punctuation in much the same way guidance. At a stroke the music had become an integral as orchestral timpani. A battery of slit drums and bamboo part of the action. and metal percussion provided a comfortable rhythmic Of the several tunings at my disposal I chose to work cushion on which to improvise melodically. Glass bowls with three of Lou Harrison’s just gamelan tunings, a and random metal were held for special effects and atmo- slendro and two pelogs: (text continued on page 4) Volume“Just Intonation 11, Number is the 4 Best Intonation” 1/1 —— Lou Harrison1 Bay Area Performance Series to Mark Network’s Twentieth Anniversary 2005 marks the twentieth anniversary of the founding receiving your proposal. And, of course, we encourage of the Just Intonation Network — to be more precise, the all network members, wherever you may be, to come network was conceived at a meeting on October 8, 1984 and attend one or more of the performances. (see 1/1 1:1, p. 16) and made its public debut with the Please send your proposals before August 31, 2004 publication of the fi rst issue of 1/1 in February 1985. (sooner is better), to the Just Intonation Network, We have decided to celebrate this event with a series of attention: Carola Anderson, 535 Stevenson Street, concerts in the San Francisco Bay Area between mid- San Francisco CA 94103. Please include the following April and mid-June of 2005. The proposed performance information: name, address, phone number, and email series (we don’t have a clever name for it yet — your address; a brief biography; a description of the piece(s) suggestions are welcome) has several goals: you would perform, including length, instrumentation, number of performers and any other details you con- ❏ to present good music in Just Intonation for its own sider relevant; preferred performance dates, technical sake requirements (e.g., any special equipment required, any ❏ to get recognition for the network in conjunction special features needed in the performance venue, etc.), with its twentieth anniversary and fi nancial requirements. Please include a CD or tape ❏ to increase public awareness of Just Intonation of the piece in question, or, if that is not possible, of a ❏ to start building a pool of performers and ensem- similar recent work in Just Intonation. bles that we can call on for future events Check the jin website (www.justintonation.net) ❏ to begin an on-going (maybe biannual?) series and subsequent issues of 1/1 for more information about No events have been scheduled as yet, but among the series as it develops. We look forward to seeing many the composers and performers who have expressed an of you next spring. 1/1 interest in participating are Alexis Alrich, David Can- right, Ellen Fullman, Kraig Grady, Janis Mattox and Loren Rush (the Good Sound Foundation), Other Music (thirty-year reunion), John Schneider/Just Strings, Robert Rich, Terry Riley, Erling Wold, and your editor. Other network members who are interested in perform- ing in the series are encouraged to submit proposals, with the following caveats: 1. We are working with a limited budget, so we will not be able to pay for your transportation from outside Northern California or your housing while you are here (though local network mem- bers may be willing to host some visiting artists). 2. We do not expect to have a house ensemble for this event (though this is a resource that we hope to develop in the future), so submission of scores will not be useful — you must be able to perform your work or make your own arrangements for its performance. Note also that this series is exclusively for music in Just Intonation, rather than for microtonality/alternate tunings in general. How- ever, if you are already in Northern California, expect to be here in April, May, or June of 2005, or are willing to come here at your own expense, and you have justly Kitharist — the Berlin Painter, tuned music to be performed, we would be interested in circa 2500 B.P. (before Partch) 2 1/1 Volume 11, Number 4 Subscriptions Contents and Back Issues Just Intonation and Music for Theatre ........................1 A four-issue subscription to 1/1 is included with mem- Alison Monteith bership in the Just Intonation Network. A new member- Bay Area Performance Series to Mark Network’s ship also includes a copy of The Just Intonation Primer. Twentieth Anniversary ................................................2 The cost of a new membership, which includes shipping David B. Doty for the Primer, is $19.00 for the U.S.A, its territories and Just Intonation and the Frequencies of DNA: possessions; $23.00 for Canada or Mexico, or $30.00 the Music of Susan Alexjander ...................................9 elsewhere. Renewals are $17.50 for the U.S.A., $20.00 Marc Jensen for Canada and Mexico; and $25.00 for the rest of the The Persistence of Just Intonation in Western Musical World. Institutional/Library rate is $30.00. Please note Practice — Part I Just Intonation in Western Music that this is not an annual subscription — 1/1’s publica- History, Music Theory and Acoustics.......................12 tion schedule is irregular: at present the rate is approxi- Douglas Leedy mately two issues per year. Please inform us promptly Reviews.....................................................................19 of any address changes, as we cannot be responsible for David Canright, David B. Doty remailing returned issues. All back issues are available postage paid — see the Just Intonation Store fl yer for details. Staff Editor-in-Chief............................................... David B. Doty Submissions Managing Editor .................................... Henry S. Rosenthal Proofreader..................................................Carola Anderson 1/1 welcomes and encourages the submission of articles Memberships/Just Intonation Store....... Molli Amara Simon on any and all subjects pertaining to Just Intonation. We do not publish articles that focus primarily on tempera- ment, or on other aspects of music theory. We prefer Just Intonation Network submissions via email attachment — preferred formats Advisory Board rtf ascii are MS Word, , or plain text ( ). (For those John H. Chalmers, Jr. Rudolf Rasch without computers, a good-quality, double-spaced typed Ben Johnston La Monte Young manuscript is also acceptable.) Illustrations, charts, and Danlee Mitchell scores are best submitted as black and white eps or tiff fi les, but camera-ready hardcopy fi gures are also accept- able.
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