Suite for Microtonal Piano


Suite for Microtonal Piano is a suite for specifically microtonally tuned piano by Ben Johnston written in 1977. According to Bob Gilmore the piece, "take extended just intonation well beyond the point reached by Harry Partch."
"The piano is tuned to a selection of overtones from the fifth octave of the harmonic spectrum of C. All octaves are tuned in the same scale....The lowest C can be used to tune the scale by ear. In succession, touch the nodes producing the 3rd, 5th, 7th, 11th, 13th, 17th, 19th partials. Then G, D; D, A; E, B; B-flat, F; are just fifths."

Movements

  1. Alarum
  2. Blues
  3. Etude
  4. Song
  5. Toccata
Alarum is a Shakespeare era stage direction indicating "a grand entrance" and an archaic word for a call to arms, so "Alarum" is a fanfare.
"Blues" and "Song" are both slow movements. "Blues" uses as blue notes the minor seventh and mediant. "Song" is in E phrygian.
"Etude" is a study in serial technique and six-against-five polyrhythms in which Johnston indicates "blur with pedal". This, "clues us in that the linear intricacies are only part of the story here: the amazing swirl of overtones resulting from an atonal application of this tuning are of equal importance."
"Toccata" features diatonic outer sections and a spikier chromatic middle section.
The piece has been recorded and released on: