Just Intonation

Just Intonation
Author(s): J. Murray Barbour

Source: Bulletin of the American Musicological Society , Jun., 1937, No. 2 (Jun., 1937),
pp. 11-12
Published by: University of California Press on behalf of the American Musicological
Society
Stable URL: http://www.jstor.com/stable/829173
JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide
range of content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and
facilitate new forms of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact [email protected].
Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of the Terms & Conditions of Use, available at
https://about.jstor.org/terms
University of California Press and American Musicological Society are collaborating with
JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access to Bulletin of the American Musicological Society
This content downloaded from

185.204.72.244 on Sun, 29 Oct 2023 14:50:32 +00:00
All use subject to https://about.jstor.org/terms
BULLETIN OF THE AMERICAN MUSICOLOGICAL SOCIETY II
others
others between
between
the Sarabande
the andSarabande
Gigue. A distinctive
and Gigue.
feature isAhisdistinctive f
use
use of of
a relative
a relative
key for the
keylast for
half ofthe
the dances
last half
in the same
of the
suite. dances in t
His
His style
style
is more
is solidly
more harmonic
solidlythanharmonic
that of the other
thanwriters;
that he of the othe
used
used little
little
imitation.
imitation.
His use of chromaticism
His use of was chromaticism
unparalleled in the was unpar
17th
17th century.
century.
Other
Other names
names
of this period,
of this represented
period, by only
represented
a few pieces, are
by only a fe
Hardelle
Hardelle (favorite
(favorite
pupil of Chambonnieres),
pupil of Chambonnieres),
Roberday, Richard and Roberday,
Pierre
Pierre Gauthier.
Gauthier.
In the i8th
Incentury
the i8th
came the
century
works of Marchand,
came the works o
Rameau,
Rameau, Perrine,
Perrine,
Couperin le
Couperin
grand, Dandrieu,
le grand,
d'Agincourt,
Dandrieu,
Daquin, d'Aginco
and
and Schobert,
Schobert,
sometimes
sometimes
called the last called
of the clavecinists.
the last of the clavecinis
Musical
Musical examples
examples
played in illustration:
played in illustration:
Attaignant
Attaignant collection
collection
of I530. of I530.
Basse-danse
Basse-danse and Gaillarde
and Gaillarde
(from Apel's "Musik
(from aus fruher
Apel's Zeit",
"Musik
Heft 2). aus fruher Zeit"
Three
Three Branles
Branles
(transcribed
(transcribed
by Emile Bosquet).
by Emile Bosquet).
Lute
Lute pieces
pieces
(from Apel).
(from Apel).
"Tant
"Tant que que
vivray",
vivray",
from "Tresfrom
breve et"Tres
familiaire
breve
introduction",
et familiaire
Attaignant, introduction
1529.
1529.
Two
Two preludes
preludes
by Besardus,
by Besardus,
from "Thesaurus
from
Harmonicus",
"Thesaurus
I603. Harmonicus", I6
"Tombeau
"Tombeau de Mr de
de l'Enclos",
Mr debyl'Enclos",
Denis Gaultier,
by from
Denis
"La Rhetorique
Gaultier,des from "La R
Dieux".
Chambonnieres
Suite-Pavane (l'Entretien des Dieux), Courante, Sarabande, Courante. From
Tessier's edition of Chambonnieres in "Les Maitres de Clavecin".
Allemande le Moutier. From Tessier, Ibid.
Louis Couperin
Double du Moutier. From Tessier, Ibid.
Prelude. Edition by P. Brunold; supplement to La Revue Musicale, Nov. I920.
Sarabande and Canaris. From Apel.
Tombeau de Mr Blancrocher. From Lavignac, vol. 3, p. 1454.
d'Anglebert
Gaillarde and Gigue. From Farrenc, "La Tresor des Pianistes".
le Begue
Gigue and Bourree. From Farrenc.
Just Intonation
J. Murray Barbour (WNY)
(MARCH 15TH, 1936, ITHACA, N. Y.)
JUST INTONATION properly means singing or playing in tune; that is,

having every chord acoustically pure and keeping the pitch at a fixed
level. This is possible only in some musical fourth dimension.
Theorists do not agree upon the correct tuning of the dominant
seventh chord and other discords; but even in the realm of triads the
pitch will fluctuate greatly if all the chords are pure. The opening
phrase of Palestrina's Stabat Mater is anomalous in just intonation: in

185.204.72.244 on Sun, 29 Oct 2023 14:50:32 +00:00
12 BULLETIN OF THE AMERICAN MUSICOLOGICAL SOCIETY
the third phrase the pitch would rise a com

half a dozen further changes of pitch.
In more modern music the pitch would a
cording to Gustav Engel, the modulatory s
Giovanni would result in a drop of almost s
A-flat, in the course of the opera. Such a con
gression as the opening phrase of America or
would result in a comma drop. Perhaps choir
flat are merely trying to sing in just intonatio
Just intonation is more difficult for singers
tuning. Pure thirds are not an advantage
hazardous by the organ tuner that the third
perament are best tuned indirectly, by beat
how extremely inaccurate is the intonation
unconscious vibrato embraces a semitone, it
do in a fraction of a second what must be
namely, differentiate pitches that vary by a c
a tone.
Despite the contention of Zarlino (I588) that voices, vi

trombones do not temper, it is very unlikely that choral
sung in just intonation during the golden age of polyphon
century. Before 1500, singers had been trained on monoch
Pythagorean tuning. Only Ramis (1482) had suggested, ap
cally, a form of just intonation. From the time of Foglian
theorist (except a few mathematicians like Kepler and
mentioned just intonation without also presenting temper
practical necessity for instruments. Since much of the "
music was not unaccompanied, but supported by viols an
equal temperament or by organs in a variety of mean-to
there could have been little opportunity for practicing just in
If a keyboard instrument is to be tuned justly, it will
keys. Many irregular systems of just intonation have bee
as well as the more satisfactory approximations to it thr
divisions. But even the best of these systems, Bosanquet's fift
note division, was far too clumsy to gain popular acceptan
To display a table of just intonation for the ordinary c
keyboard is greatly to misunderstand the character and
this system. With thirty or forty keys in the octave, it
But for an octave of twelve semitones, just intonation is the
factory of all tuning methods. The only useful purpose
table is to show the application of the harmonic series to the
triads. Let it be kept where it belongs, safely tucked aw
pages of a physics text.

185.204.72.244 on Sun, 29 Oct 2023 14:50:32 +00:00

Just Intonation

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Just Intonation

Uploaded by

Document Information

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Just Intonation

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Just Intonation

Author(s): J. Murray Barbour

Stable URL: http://www.jstor.com/stable/829173

This content downloaded from

JUST INTONATION properly means singing or playing in tune; that is,

This content downloaded from

the third phrase the pitch would rise a com

Despite the contention of Zarlino (I588) that voices, vi

This content downloaded from

You might also like