Topic: Emilio de’ Cavalieri’s mysterious enharmonic tuning

Wouldn't this be a very nice feature for the new Organteq to come? In the advanced tuning pane an option for historical enharmonic tuning.
See the details on 7.17 on YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-tyIvhv1hc0
There would be needed a division from two semitones ( a chromatic and a diatonic semitone )  into 5 diesis tones, in order to expres a certain emotion. The composer self points out this is difficult to achieve in a performance. However a performance from-off the staff notation, with a reconstructed organ and a beautiful female singer, shows it can be done!

Thank you and best regards.
Dick

Re: Emilio de’ Cavalieri’s mysterious enharmonic tuning

The Tuning-System involved here is the Division of the Octave into 31 equal parts.  This corresponds to Mean-Tone Temperament to within 1/2 cent for every note, and it renders Mean-Tone as a closed system, that is, playable in any key and can be modulated all the way around the Cycle.

In this system, a whole-tone is five parts, a major third is ten parts, and a minor third is eight parts.  Thus, 31 parts to the Octave.

Playing in Diatonic Mode, the smallest interval is three parts, as from E to F, or from B to C.

Playing in Chromatic Mode, the smallest interval is two parts, as from C to C#, or from Bb to B.

Playing in Enharmonic Mode, as in the video of Emilio de Cavalieri, the smallest interval is one part...
and the demonstration shows all five steps between C and D.

As they say... "Very Difficult"! ("Molto difficile")

Re: Emilio de’ Cavalieri’s mysterious enharmonic tuning

The genera (diatonic, chromatic, and enharmonic) as described by the Greeks apparently predates anything Greek by a minimum of several centuries.  It does so, from a land mass intersected by an equator and having a river running unlike any other  —from a southern point to a northern.  On which mass ancient woodwind instruments unearthed in excavations from recognized sites were evidence of early diatonic scales (such as in use today in the modern genres blues, ragtime, jazz, rock and disco amongst others).

Furthermore even some papyri, found today inside collections, are fine examples of music written by scribes who, when the instruments were made, presumably, wrote scores of diatonic scales within that location (above described).

I have a problem with the speaker's usage of the term Renaissance as it often has been used er applied in public school settings, maybe mandatorily.  My question is: "Did said er alleged renasissance theoreticians as persons really identify theirselves by the word Renaissance, as though it were a title bestowed upon them by their kings whilst each of them was alive, or merely a modern (latter) label or likely contrived convention or loud distracting verbal announcement meant as a concoction only eventually to draw and hold a modern art student's attention (span), in a confine such as the classroom and its closed doors?"  Obviously, its usage intended by the speaker in the video (from Portugal probably) is highly questionable.  Although, it appears in broad use today as the text books (and blocks) of others attest.

After all, I have to say; if true as stated, it had served as a precursor to the worldwide enslavement and relocation that it preceded; which chronologically ensued, from once unimaginable and before unbelievable wooden material berths (those) that were horrific indeed, but also fabricated constructs!

Personally, I just feel Renaissance is a part of a state party line that was advanced by the speaker.  Another uses the term Baptism in a church where one too can become made aware of an organ.

Last edited by Amen Ptah Ra (04-09-2019 18:28)
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