Microtone Microtonal music

microtonal music can refer music containing microtones, therefore important comprehend microtone is. words microtone , microtonal coined before 1912 maud maccarthy mann in order avoid misnomer quarter tone when speaking of srutis of indian music (mann 1912, 44). prior time term quarter tone used, confusingly, not interval half size of semitone, intervals (considerably) smaller semitone (ellis 1877, 665; meyer 1903). may have been earlier, perhaps 1895, mexican composer julián carrillo, writing in spanish or french, coined terms microtono/micro-ton , microtonalismo/micro-tonalité (donval 2006, 119).

in french, usual term more self-explanatory micro-intervalle, , french sources give equivalent german , english terms mikrointervall (or kleinintervall) , micro interval (or microtone), respectively (amy 1961; anon. 1998; wallon 1980, 13; whitfield 1989, 13. microinterval frequent alternative in english, in translations of writings french authors , in discussion of music french composers (battier , lacino 1984, 79; boulez 1958, 22–23; rae 2013, 164, 174n40). in english, 2 terms microtone , microinterval synonymous (maclagan 2009, 109). english analogue of related french term, micro-intervalité, however, rare or nonexistent, being translated microtonality ; in french, terms micro-ton, microtonal (or micro-tonal), , microtonalité used, mixed in same passage micro-intervale , micro-intervalité (donval 2006, 119, 183; jedrzejewski 2014, passim; rigoni 1998, 314).

ezra sims, in article microtone in second edition of harvard dictionary of music (apel 1974, 527) defines microtone interval smaller semitone , corresponds aristoxenus s use of term diesis (richter 2001). however, unsigned article comma, schisma in same reference source calls comma, schisma , diaschisma microintervals not microtones (apel 1974, 188), , in fourth edition of same reference (which retains sims s article on microtone ) new comma, schisma article andré barbera calls them intervals (barbera 2003). in second edition of new grove dictionary of music , musicians, paul griffiths, mark lindley, , ioannis zannos define microtone musical rather acoustical entity: musical interval or difference of pitch distinctly smaller semitone , including tiny enharmonic melodic intervals of ancient greece, several divisions of octave more 12 parts, , various discrepancies among intervals of intonation or between sharp , enharmonically paired flat in various forms of mean-tone temperament , indian sruti, , small intervals used in byzantine chant, arabic music theory 10th century onward, , persian traditional music , turkish music , various other near eastern musical traditions (griffiths, lindley, , zannos 2001), not name mathematical terms schisma, comma, , diaschisma.

microtone used refer individual notes, microtonal pitches added , distinct familiar twelve notes of chromatic scale (von gunden 1986, 59), enharmonic microtones (barbieri 2008, 139), example.

in english word microtonality mentioned in 1946 rudi blesh related microtonal inflexions of so-called blues scales (blesh 1946, 234). used still earlier w. mcnaught reference developments in modernism in 1939 record review of columbia history of music, vol. 5 (mcnaught 1939, 102). in german term mikrotonalität came use @ least 1958 (prieberg 1958, 288; prieberg 1960, 29–32, 210–12, inter al), though mikrointervall still common today in contexts small intervals of european tradition (diesis, comma etc.) described, e.g. in new geschichte der musiktheorie (zaminer 2006, 94) while mikroton seems prevail in discussions of avant-garde music , music of eastern traditions. term microinterval used alongside microtone american musicologist margo schulter in articles on medieval music (schulter 1998; schulter 2001).