Antoine Reicha's Comments on Quarter-tones in 1814 and 1824 Composer and French scholar Samuel Mutter has located for me Antoine Reicha's references to quarter-tones in his Traite de Melodie (Treatise on Melody) of 1814, on page 42, then reproduced almost exactly in his Traite de Haute Composition Musicale (Treatise on Advanced Musical Composition) of 1824, on page 429 (both in footnotes). I have not found these citations available on the internet, and so I post them here for the reference of anyone interested:
1) I heard performed by a famous singer the passage from the second phrase to the third phrase, in the following manner, by quarter tones: (see 7.3, No. 4); that which produced among the audience an extraordinary effect; the skilled singer was showered with applause.
It would be desirable that professional singers put themselves to the execution of quarter tones, in ascending and in descending; because, of all the musical instruments, it is the voice that can practice them with the greatest ease. To facilitate this exercise, it would be necessary to construct for them a type of monochord of twenty four chords, which would form an octave of twenty four pitches. To make them sound in tune, it would be necessary to tune them with two tuning forks which would differ by a quarter tone between them; that which would be easy to realize.
Traite de Melodie here, p. 42.
Traite de Haute Composition Musicale here, p. 429.
Reicha's quarter-tone notation is inconsistent; the first two are a quarter-tone flat, the third a quarter-tone sharp.Here is the French original:
1) J'ai entendu faire a un chanteur celebre le conduit de la seconde periode a la troisième, de la maniere suivante, par des quarts de tons: (voyez 7.3, No. 4); ce qui produisit sur les auditeurs un effet extraordinaire; on couvrit d'applaudissement le chanteur habile.
Il serait a desirer que les chanteurs de profession se missent en etat a force d'exercice, d'executer les quarts de tons, soit en montant soit en descendant; car, de tous les instrumens musicaux, c'est la voix qui peut les pratiquer plus aisement. Pour faciliter cet exercice il faudrait leur construire une espece de monocorde de vingt-quatre cordes, qui formerait une octave de vingt-quatre quarts de tons. Pour rendre ces sons justes, il faudrait les accorder avec deux diapasons qui differeraient entr'eux d'un quart de ton; ce qui serait facile a realiser.
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