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Date: | Tue, 20 Jul 2004 08:17:06 -0400 |
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Dear Lists -- more on intonation:
I'm not the first to abuse Bach's prelude #1 -- but below is a link to
the Well Tempered Clavier first prelude in just intonation -- actually,
in supertempered intonation.
Supertempered is just like just intonation -- only planned, not 'instinctive'
the way great artists play, and the way other artists say they play.
For such a simple work, only a few mutations of intonation are required:
the second and sixth scale steps (D and A) regularly change from low to
high intonation (measure 2, the D and A must be low, to tune with the F
subdominant note, while measure 3 the D must be high, to tune with the
G dominant note). My 'interpretation' is not labored or even heavily
considered, so please don't criticise the performance. The only liberty
I took is imagining Bach at the exact golden mean of his 100 second work
(61.8 seconds along) pausing to hit the Ab for the first time and showing
that it is not horribly out of tune. This works, of course, in a
well-tempered temperament just as in supertempered temperament.
Prelude #1 from my own set of 24 preludes and fugues is referenced for
comparison. It too is recorded supertempered, with somewhat more
complex harmony still fitting into a C major with intonation changes.
JS Bach WTC Prelude #1 www.hartenshield.com/wtcp01.mp3
W Copper STK Prelude #1 www.hartenshield.com/0408st_p01.mp3
The score and more recording links for the Super Tempered Keyboard at
www.hartenshield.com/0408/hgi0408_supertempered.html
My orchestral and choral works have been supertempered for a good while;
just recently have I dared to 'tune' keyboard works.
Addendum to the message about Bach's WTC Prelude 1: there is a less
dramatic Ab earlier, at the golden mean of the golden mean -- the second
one, in the bass, makes the point better.
William Copper
orchestral @ hartenshield.com
www.hartenshield.com
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