J.S. Bach C Major Prelude & Fugue, Book 1, BWV 846

Here's a rendition of Bach's C Major Prelude and Fugue (opening) played in Just Intonation on a Tonal Plexus keyboard. Obviously, Bach did not write this music to be played in Just Intonation (the "Well Tempered" part of "Well Tempered Klavier" has a specific meaning for tuning), so this is an experimental performance which uses pure 3rds and 5ths, natural 7ths in dominant chords, and harmonics reaching the 17-Limit in diminished chords. In several places, a common tone can be heard to 'bend' from one chord to the next (usually in ii-V progressions) where a pitch has to move by a septimal comma; the pitch is changing in real time by JND steps. This is a single take. I played only the opening of the fugue, very slowly ; ) This is for two reasons. First, so my fingers will behave and play the right keys, and second, so the sounds of Just Intonation can be savored a bit. Find out more about the Tonal Plexus at http://www.h-pi.com

Category:

Music

Tags:

• bach
• wtc
• BWV-846
• tonal-plexus
• microtonal
• quartertone
• partch
• tbx1

[7NTM61Ic]

In the G7 chord here, would the "natural 7th" you play be different from the F of which the C (tonic) is the perfect dominant? Because I think the 7th in a dominant 7th chord is understood by the brain as the latter. And hence if you play some other note, it could be said to be contrary to the intention of the composer.

A related issue: Would it be correct to say that transcribing for JI involves some interpretation of the composer's intention, if significant modulation occurs?

[AaronAndrewHunt]

@7NTM61Ic Yes, they are two different kinds of F. As I wrote in the notes for the video, this is just an experiment, and one interpretation, which certainly does not realize the composer's intention, since Bach was writing for well temperament, not Just Intonation. The Pythagorean seventh 9:16 maintains the fifths-based tonal relationship you are talking about, and yes if one uses that it sounds more in the style of Bach in terms of tonal organization.

[KMY180753]

An interesting experiment.

It proves to me, that 17-limit JI may be unsuitable for this music. I supposed earlier and now am sure, that the unwary use of JI of higher than 5-limit is capable to distort perception of this piece. 

[AaronAndrewHunt]

@KMY180753 Hi; thanks for the comment and for posting your 7-Limit version of the piece. I'm not sure what you mean by either "unwary"; the choices I made were deliberate. THere are lots of ways to do it, and in some cases other choices might be better than those I made here. Also I don't know what you mean to "distort perception". Perception may change as the tuning changes, and JI may make the music feel like a camera is changing focus from one chord to another, but JI focus is very exacting.

[kratanuva725]

So, I have one question for you, how hard it it to play fast music on this? I could see how it would work if you tuned the keyboard to 31 tet /w enharmonic notes, but is it hard to play quickly in the default tuning, even next to impsossible?

I geuss quickly is a relitive term, but I hope you can still awnser my question. =P

[AaronAndrewHunt]

@kratanuva725 Thanks for the question : ) Obviously, it depends what you want to play. It's easy to play random keys as fast as possible, and going for specific keys is harder. Is it next to impossible to play a violin well? It's not easy, but it's not impossible. It just takes time and effort.

[NomisGSR]

TUNE YOUR KEYBOARD IT'S OUT OF TUNE!!!

Joke, it came out pretty nice after a few hearings, just to get used to it.

[AaronAndrewHunt]

@Esosphere, well, in that case, why does anyone play a musical instrument? Just let computers do the job, right? You see, I made the keyboard and play it myself because I want to experience the whole process of making music, feeling, thinking and expressing it myself in real time. MIDI is working for me too. TPX keyboards are MIDI devices; it's MIDI controlled by a human being :)

[JLMoriart]

@shautora The Pythagorean seventh is one reached by going down two fifths and up two octaves. It approximates the ratio 16/9**, and will be heard as having a different function than the "harmonic seventh". ** (3/2)^-2 * (2)^2= 4/9 * 4 = 16/9

The "harmonic seventh" just the interval that approximates the ratio 7/4. (In fact, in septimal meantone tunings, 7/4 is represented by the augmented sixth, not minor seventh.) It might be more consonant, but melodically it works differently.

[pianist7722]

way out of tune there and wrong use of the pedal, in the end the notes sound horriblley mixed and together, it's really not suppose to have pedal :D nice job, though :D

[shautora]

@7NTM61Ic I'm curious to know what you mean what you mean when you say the seventh degree in a dominant seventh chord is "understood by the brain" to be a Pythagorean seventh. Could you elaborate further?

[DreamLaef]

this... is one of the most beautiful things I've ever heard

[jackdietrich87]

Mind = blown.

[RoboticusMusic]

way off because the button play is too close therefore not allowing proper levels of adjustment or even velocity for the pitch.

[md65000]

I'm not sure what I'm supposed to be hearing here. It sounds like the same Prelude in C I've always heard. Even the "off" chords (secondaries, diminished etc.) sound normal to me.

[johnyprestige]

crazy cool, i like what you've done hear, the tuning is interesting to say the least and quite apt for a piece from the well tempered clavier. I love this fugue, it's so beautiful.

[tfelixbass]

beatiful! amazing!