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NotaRiotous pianist Barbara Lieurance will be performing with her ensemble Antares Project on Friday, July 9 at 7 pm at Steinert Hall in Boston. The concert will feature new chamber music by David Lang, Nomi Epstein, Meinrad Schutter, Dorothy Chang and Kaija Saariaho.

Barbara tells us that two of the pieces use microtones: Trio for flute, cello and piano by Nomi Epstein; and Cendres by Kaija Saariaho.

The other members of the Antares Project are Chelsea Czuchra, flutes; Nora Krahl, cello. The concert is free, but reservations are required. You may reserve seats by email (vivianh@msteinert.com or by telephone (617)426-1900x224. M. Steinert and Sons-Steinert Hall is located at 162 Boylston St. in Boston.

I asked Barbara for some notes about the two pieces, and she graciously provided the following:

Notes about Trio for flute, cello and piano by Nomi Epstein

Much of my more recent music seeks a harmonic sound world not based on equal temperament, or the intervallic qualities that lie within a more traditionally tuned Western classical ensemble. The reason for this being a need to explore other timbral possibilities and the interaction of various harmonic series which abound in a microtonal spectrum. These microtonal inflections are sometime sought out to expand the width of a pitch, often the simultaneous sounding of more than one microtonal inflection to a specific pitch allowing for beating to be aurally recognizable. In other moments, the microtonal inflections act on the listener’s memory of a pitch offering a comparison of various inflected notes. Although my music does not follow a specific microtonal tuning system, I use quite a bit of modification to the chromatic pitch in both the flute and cello parts of Trio for flute, cello and piano throughout the work. Additionally, the string preparations alter the pitch quality, as well as the timbral quality, of the piano.

-Nomi Epstein


Notes about microtonal use in the music of Saariaho (Cendres, the piece that will be performed, is based on…à la Fumée, though it does not use live electronics)

At IRCAM, Saariaho developed techniques of computer-assisted composition and acquired fluency in working on tape and with live electronics. This experience influenced her approach to writing for orchestra, with its emphasis on the shaping of dense masses of sound in slow transformations. Significantly, her first orchestral piece, Verblendungen (1984), involves a gradual exchange of roles and character between orchestra and tape. And even the titles of her next, linked, pair of orchestral works, Du Cristal (1989) and …à la Fumée (1990) – the latter with solo alto flute and cello, and both with live electronics – suggest their preoccupation with colour and texture.

Through IRCAM, Saariaho became allied with the French ‘spectralist’ composers, whose techniques are based on computer analysis of the sound-spectrum of individual notes on different instruments. This analytical approach led her to the regular use of harmonies resting on long-held bass notes, microtonal intervals, and a precisely detailed continuum of sound extending from pure tone to unpitched noise – all features of one of her most frequently performed works, Graal théâtre for violin and orchestra or ensemble (1994/97).

A tribute concert for Joe Maneri, founder of the Boston Microtonal Society, beloved friend, teacher, and inspiration to many, was held at the Cathedral Church of St. Paul, in Boston, MA on Friday, May 21, 2010. Many thanks to Ed Broms, music director of the cathedral, for graciously offering to host this concert!

Almost 30 musicians gathered to pay tribute to Joe in words and music. Some of Joe’s composed works were performed:

Piano Sonata “Pax” (1959): John McDonald, piano
Organ Fugue (1954): Leonardo Ciampa, organ
Khotlyn (2000): Jennifer Ashe, soprano; Will Lang, trombone
Osanj (2004): James Bergin, viola

Sonja Maneri read a selection of Joe’s poetry in his own invented languages. Current students in Joe’s microtonal course at NEC (now taught by BMS Artistic Director Julia Werntz) performed music written for their final projects. A taped performance of Julia Wentz’s “Three Developments in the World of the Invisible” (composed for and dedicated to Joe) was heard. Various improvisational groups performed, drawn from the following family members, former students, collaborators, and friends of Joe:

Abe Maneri
Mat Maneri
Brad Barrett
Mike Bullock
Clayton Dewalt
Glenn Dickson
Jorrit Dijkstra
Moses Eder
John Fugarino
David Gross
David Haas
Tom Halter
Katt Hernandez
Pandelis Karayorgis
Will Lang
Dan Levin
John McLellan
Hankus Netsky
Ben Schwendener
Uwe Steinmetz
Christopher Watford
James Wylie

The stunning variety and richness of musical expression was a wonderful testimony to Joe’s ability to teach and inspire others, as well as to his own mastery of composition and improvisation. His “always seeking, sometimes finding” spirit, and his all-embracing, compassionate heart remain a continual inspiration to us.

New World Records releases new CD of music of Ezra Sims

Now available at New World Records and at Amazon…

Ezra Sims (b. 1928) is known mainly as a composer of microtonal music. Surrounded by world-class performers who champion his music, he has produced a large number of chamber and solo works, choral works and two orchestral works. With his unwavering commitment to his unique vision he has made an enormous contribution to modern music. This retrospective spans his entire career, almost fifty years of compositional activity, and is an excellent introduction to his very distinctive sound world.

Track List:
Sonatine (1957) Eric Moe, piano
Sonata (1957) Ted Mook, cello; Eric Moe, piano
AEDM in mem (1988) Ted Mook, cello
If I Told Him (1996) Christina Ascher, alto; Christoph von Erffa, cello
Musing and Reminiscence (2003) Boston Musica Viva; Richard Pittman, conductor
Concert Piece II (2005) Amy Advocat, Michael Norsworthy, clarinets; Boston Modern Orchestra Project; Gil Rose, conductor

Extensive liner notes by Julia Werntz, Artistic Director of BMS

This week marked the end of the intensive microtonal ear-training and composition class that I taught at Williams College - leven 2-hour sessions over a 21-day period! We made it through Part III of the four parts of Joe Maneri’s book “Preliminary Exercises in the Virtual Pitch Continuum” which he developed during his teaching career at the New England Conservatory (now being taught by BMS Artistic Director Julia Werntz, who reports that this semester she has an all-time-high enrollment of 21 students!)

Our classes focussed on learning to sing the various intervals of the 72 ET scale. Julia produced a CD with all of the intervals being systematically played, which I used as the basis for our ear-training. In addition, we sang all of the written homework assignments based on the exercises in the book, as well as excerpts from microtonal compositions.

We also used instruments to play the exercises (2 violins, viola, flute, horn, 3 guitars!). I was particularly impressed with the Williams students’ eagerness to figure out ways to play the microtones. At our last class, the students were able to play 6-part counterpoints pretty much at sight! Amazing!

The guitarists became expert at getting all the microtones by bending notes upward! They inspired me to re-string an acoustic guitar with 6 G-strings, each tuned a 1/12 tone higher than the other, yielding a beautifully clear 72-note octave. We used this the way one uses a piano for standard eartraining!

The students also wrote free microtonal melodies, some with accompaniment, which will be performed and recorded in a workshop setting by NotaRiotous baritone Avery Griffin later in the spring. Again, I was struck by the students’ willingness to step out creatively; some had very little compositional experience; others had a great deal, but were eager to try the new sounds.

It was a most rewarding teaching experience, and I also appreciated the chance to share stories and recordings of our beloved Joe - his spirit, always seeking and sometimes finding, permeated our class!

I’m currently teaching an intensive introductory microtonal course at Williams College as part of its annual Winter Study program. Eight intrepid and gifted students are meeting with me for three 2-hour sessions each week during the month of January. We are using the textbook “Preliminary Exercises in the Virtual Pitch Continuum", by BMS founder Joseph Maneri and Scott VanDuyne. As the students are taking only this course for the whole month, we are trying to accomplish a semester’s work in 24 days!

Our eartraining work is based on exercises developed by BMS Artistic Director Julia Werntz, who continues to teach the microtonal course at the new England Conservatory. The exercises introduce each of the pitches and intervals of the 72-note ET octave systematically, and in relation to the intervals of the 12-note ET octave. We sing the exercises and play them on instruments (flute, horn, violins, guitars).

We then sing the written exercises in the book, as well the students’ own exercises that they have written outside of class. So far, the students (after learning the 72-note division of the octave and the notation system) have written ascending and descending chromatic scales in 1/12-tones, 1/6-tones and 1/2-tones; 4-note ascending melodic fragments; reorderings of the pitches of the fragments, and 2-part harmonizations of the fragments. Today’s assignment is to write 2-voice counterpoints based on the 2-part harmonies.

Looking ahead, NotaRiotous baritone Avery Griffin will visit the class next Monday to speak about how to write for the voice (and how not to!). The students have been invited to write short pieces for him which he will sing upon his return to the class the following Monday. New York violinist Emily Kalish will visit the class that day as well; she and I will play the opening of my piece “Noli me tangere".

It is a great joy to work with such open-minded, energetic and gifted young people!