Upon first hearing, and reading along with this piece, many thoughts popped up on how I could realize this on my instrument. At first, I didn’t even notice the alto-clef and since I don’t have perfect pitch my mind read it in bass-clef, like it was in the key of G, starting on the 5th. Later, I learned that the melody is supposed to be played only on the lowest string of a viola, hence the alto-clef, making the melody in the ‘key of F harmonic series’. But my mindset was already in the harmonic series of G, and I thought an open the tuning I recently created:
In learning the piece, with its specific intervals, it is really helpful to have them available as open strings. For direct comparison while studying, sympathetic vibration and maybe someday for some enhanced arrangement.
Another cool feature is the presence of two open D-strings, one octave apart. It creates the option to play the harmonic series cadenzas (bar 15 and from bar 32 to the end) in octaves which gives a very nice sound.
The edition explains the use of the microtonal intervals in the following way:
the arrows indicate downward microtonal departures from normal intonation: *open arrow* is about a quarter tone lower, as with the 11th harmonic (which is 49 cents lower); *closed arrow* is about a sixth of a tone lower, as in the 7th harmonic (which is 31 cents lower); *arrow* is the very slight deviation (14 cents lower) which is the difference between the major third of the tempered scale and the natural scale.
So what about the intonation of the other intervals? I assume viola players play their 4th’s and 5th’s pure. I might go for some pure seconds and sixths as well!
in order to play the harmonics
Tomorrow, monday 9th of may, I will play a concert with the Eclectomatic Big Band led by Jos Heutmekers at the Amsterdam Conservatory (Oosterdokskade 151, Amsterdam) from 21.00h ’till 22.30h.
