Op.5 Nr.8 Theme and 8 Variations (19TET)

my new microtonal piano piece, adpoted 19 tone equal temperament and normal piano, which intertwined with each other.

the video: 【微分音钢琴】作品5之8 变奏曲_哔哩哔哩_bilibili

Hello @cloud10000,

The use of the 19 tone equal temperament system is quite interesting. What is your intention of using this system? I feel like normal 12 tone equal temperament will be good enough in this piece as I don't how the use of those microtones can add colour to the piece.

Also I feel like the variations are not quite variations since their similarity with the thema is not really apparent. Do you use a harmonic approach for the treatment for the variations? I see that in var. 8 you quote the var. 1 theme, but other than that I don't find it a theme and variation at all.

The piece is very virtuosic, if not overly virtuosic since I feel like many of the virtuosity does not enhance the emotional content of the piece, but rather they are for the sake of virtuosity itself. Some of them are even unplayable virtuosity, though I think you don't quite care since it's not expected to be played in real life so it's fine for me.

Many of the sections are very romantic and beaitiful and I like them! It is the cohesion that's not enough to bring those beautiful passages together. The theme is so beautiful and you should use it more!

Thanks for sharing.

Henry

I am curious why you always seem to compose microtonal piano pieces?  Tuning and manufacturing actual pianos to the needed specifications in order for these to be actually performable is quite a steep bargain!  From my perspective, bowed non-fretted strings are the instruments of choice for microtonality of any kind.  Another thing you'll never be able to achieve with keyboard microtonality is glissandi (unless you write for the mellotron or some similar instrument I heard of at some point in time that allows you to press the keyboard in between the standard keys and even can reproduce vibrato by undulating the finger on a held note).

As far as musicality, you don't really seem to naturalize the microtonality into your own particular brand of harmony or melody.  You use the microtonality as just an additional ornament to the predominantly tonal music.  Nothing wrong with that of course.  If I were to try my hand at microtonality I would also go that route, but I would want to have the capability of having a glissando to a microtonal note.  And I'd also try to modulate into and out of, microtonal keys.  The last step would be to actually create new harmonies by mixing common 12 TET tonality with some kind of microtonality.  But that's just my approach.  Thanks for sharing!