Audio Examples for Kyle Gann's book
The Arithmetic of Listening:
Tuning Theory and History for the Impractical Musician

Chapter 13: Twelve-Based Equal Temperaments

Documents for Pre-20th-Century 24tet Quarter-Tones:

Giambattista Doni's Composizione per il Diatonico Equabile of 1635

Christopher Simpson's A Compendium of Practical Musick of 1667

Francisco Valls's Enharmonic Composition for String Instruments, 1742[?], or PDF here

Charles De Lusse's Treatise The Art of the Transverse Flute, 1760, including fingerings for flute quarter-tones

Recorded performance of De Lusse's "Air a la Grecque" (1760) or mp3 played by Vera Balogh on transverse flute and Balint Maroth on cello:

Original score Of De Lusse's Air a la Grecque and transcription into modern notation; there are some ambiguities in the cello part

"G.B. Orazi's Enharmonic Flute and its Music (1795-1815)" by Patrizio Babieri, including scores of Orazi's quarter-tone pieces for flute trio, 1797

Antoine Reicha's references to quarter-tones in 1814 and 1824.

Ivan Wyschnegradsky: Modulation Examples

Ex. 13.7:

Claude Vivier: Lonely Child

Ex. 13.16:

Alois Haba: String Quartet No. 2

Performed by the Haba Quartet
1st movement, opening, Ex. M.2:

1st movement, mm. 37-41, Ex. M.3:

2st movement, opening, Ex. M.4:

Charles Ives: Three Pieces for Two Quarter-Tone Pianos

Third movement; Example M.5 begins at 0:00, M.6 at 0:57, and M.7 at 2:56; George C. Pappastavrou and Stuart Warren Lanning, pianos (though only on vinyl, this is the only recording I've heard that I think gets the tuning exactly right):

Ivan Wyschnegradsky: 24 Preludes dans l'echelle chromatique diatonisee a 13 sons, Op. 22

Performed by Sylvaine Billier and Martine Joste, pianos
Prelude 3, excerpt, Ex. M.9:
Prelude 5, excerpt, Ex. M.10:
Prelude 10, excerpt, Ex. M.12:

Ezra Sims: String Quartet No. 5

Performed by the Pacifica Quartet:

1st movement, mm. 1-14, Ex. N.1:

3rd movement, mm. 1-5, Ex. N.2:

If you find any problems with the examples, e-mail me here


return to the home page