Dear Mr.Johnson, I read your message re: tuning for an all Roger Sessions piano recital. I have played all of Mr. Sessions works using a modified mean -tone temperament and found to my delight that far from being inappropriate, the different sized thirds in fact clarified the hmarmonic structure and in general supported the musical content. To give two examples, the openings of his two last major works clearly make use of "quasi -tonal" harmonic relationships. In Five Pieces he pits F#-A#(B-flat_)against C-E ,one third (guess which one) evokes repose and the other a move toward greater intensity. The fact that these intervals are part of a 12 tone row does not alter their musical meaning and the contexts in which they appear later bears this out. The Third Sonata begins with the F-A flat which (not coincidentally) ends the work-in a different spelling. While I would never interpret this as a return to F minor, the mood that is created by this much more narrowed third than it would be in equal temperament immediately and succinctly establishes a mood which is simply impossible to replicate in equal temperament. Would be happy to send a tape if you are interested. Sincerely yours Jerome Kuderna PhD. (in care of Paul Bailey RPT SAN MATEO, CA 103445,713@compuserve.com)
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