Some thoughts abouth the medieval music

Since medieval music was practiced and heard 6 and more centuries ago, it is a very primary kind of music. During this period the theory of harmony was still being developed. That is the reason why many movements which appeared in the music of this period were later prohibited or limited, such as parallel unison, parallel octave, parallel fifth, parallel fourth and pedal point.

The instruments of this period were also very primary and not yet developed. Their timbre is often shrill, narrow and singular, sometimes ugly. Some of them have unstable pitch or false pitch.

Some notices about different tone systems

• When several instruments with different tunings (i.e. tone systems) play together, a tone which is not tuned the same on each instrument will cause a collision or blocking effect, since this tone is tuned in different systems and the pitch variants differ from each other only by a small amount.
• In some instruments, especially brass instruments with valves, or fretted string instruments with inappropriate tuning (including fret positions), several variants of a tone may exist simultaneously.
• Chords with only one variant of each tone are quite easy to accept, even if the intervals are not pure.

Untempered tone systems

1. Systems of pure fifths:

   • With G-sharp
          (Ab≠G#, <G#) - Eb - Bb - F - C - G - D - A - E - B - F# - C# - G# - (D#≠Eb, >Eb)

   • With A-flat
     (Db≠C#, <C#) - Ab - Eb - Bb - F - C - G - D - A - E - B - F# - C# - (G#≠Ab, >Ab)

2. Systems of pure fifths and pure major thirds:

   • Viola & Violoncello (& with some differences trumpets in C, in G)
        (≠A, <A)     - E  - B  - F# - C# - (G#≠Ab, <Ab)
        (≠F, <F)     - C  - G  - D  - A  - (≠E, >E)
        (Db≠C#, >C#) - Ab - Eb - Bb - F  - (≠C, >C)

   • Violin, Contrabass (& with some differences trumpets in G, in D, trumpets & horns in E-flat, in B-flat)
             (≠E, <E)     - B  - F# - C# - G# - (D#≠Eb, <Eb)
             (≠C, <C)     - G  - D  - A  - E  - (≠B, >B)
             (Ab≠G#, >G#) - Eb - Bb - F  - C  - (≠G, >G)

   • Double horn in B-flat & F, Trumpets in B-flat, in F, in D, in A
                    (≠B, <B)   - F# - C# - (G#≠Ab, <<Ab)
                    (≠G, <G)   - D  - A  - E  - B  - (≠F#, >F#)
                    (≠Eb, <Eb) - Bb - F  - C  - G  - (≠D, >D)
                           (Db≠C#, >>C#) - Ab - Eb - (≠Bb, >Bb)

   • Trumpets in F, in C, in A, (Single) horn in F
                         (≠F#, <F#) - C# - G# - (D#≠Eb, <<Eb)
                         (≠D, <D)   - A  - E  - B  - F# - (≠C#, >C#)
                         (≠Bb, <Bb) - F  - C  - G  - D  - (≠A, >A)
                                (Ab≠G#, >>G#) - Eb - Bb - (≠F, >F)

   • Additional chromatic tones with G-sharp
                      (≠B, <B) - F# - C# - G# - (D#≠Eb, <Eb)
     (≠Bb, <Bb) - F  - C  - G  - D  - A  - E  - B  - (≠F#, >F#)
             (Ab≠G#, >G#) - Eb - Bb - (≠F, >F)

   • Additional chromatic tones with A-flat
                      (≠B, <B) - F# - C# - (G#≠Ab, <Ab)
     (≠Bb, <Bb) - F  - C  - G  - D  - A  - E  - B  - (≠F#, >F#)
        (Db≠C#, >C#) - Ab - Eb - Bb - (≠F, >F)

3. Notices:
   • Pure fifth 2:3 (in frequency)
   • Pure major third 4:5 (in frequency)
   • (tone in parentheses) An expected tone in comparison with the available tone of the tone system.

Tageskritiken

• “Für Absturz, für Katastrophe, für Niedergang.”
• Ausbruch, Aufstand, Explosion des Ichs – Nur ich, nur ich, nur ich! Die anderen weg!
• Man ist geschrumpft und sieht nur noch mikroskopische Abschwankungen.
• Blockiert, gebündelt, ge-/behindert und (be-)hindernd.
• Sei es, als könnte man nur darum denken, verstehen und machen. Man ist nur dazu hingezogen, dazu hingeklebt, denn das ist das einzig mögliche. Die anderen Sachen kann man nicht angehen oder nicht erledigen.
• Der ganze Verlauf wird nun gestoppt durch solche uraltertümliche Anliegen, inmitten entwickelter Umgebung und entwickeltes Umfeldes.

Tageskritiken

• Selbstverständlich wenn Sie die Stütze ihres Hauses abbauen, wird ihr Haus abstürzen.
• Die Menschen befinden sich in der schwarzen Hölle, im dunklen Untergrund, im aussichtlosen Bottom. Und die Aufgabe sei es, diese Menschen zu führen.
• Sie haben nichts, um dies zu machen. Hoffen Sie nicht, es ist eine Illusion.
• Verdorbener Fleisch zum Mülleimer!
• Immer anstrengend, immer schwierig, immer hart zu erreichen. Auch wenn es leichter gehen kann, will man aber nicht, man wolle nur anstrengend, nur schwierig, nur hart und führe den Weg dahin.
• Es ist keine Überraschung, dass diese Menschen die Wirtschaft behindern.
• Treibend, aufstreberisch!
• Die Menschen legen sich so gerne quer, sie wechseln kurz aufeinander endlos hin und her, ohne an etwas bestimmten anzukommen. Sie sind dazu bereit, ohne Rücksicht auf die anderen alles umzustürzen und zu ändern.
• Ihre Familie ist dem Tod verurteilt.

Chỉ trích của ngày | Tageskritik

• Bình thường thì không chịu, cứ muốn chuệch choạc.
• Auch die grössten Konjunkturprogramme sind nicht genug, wenn die Menschen immer noch abwegig verhalten.

Tageskritiken

• Angst vor dem Gesichtsverlust.
• Immer nur an sich selbst orientieren und denken.
• Immer Vorstellung über sich selbst als beengt.
• Immer Schwierigkeit, die Anliegen der anderen zu erachten und zu verstehen.

Critics of the day

It is always because of the lack of mean that one have to use inappropriate ways to do something. Especially if there are some ways which might be able for that, and then they will be misused. Since it seems to be no problem, the person/people will go further. So that is how the people do something without fulfilling the requirements.

Some comments on the trombones

As wrote in a post before, to fill in the gap between the fundamental tones and the continuous range from the 2nd harmonics on the trombones, only one attachment pitched a fifth lower is enough. A tenor trombone with an attachment in E-flat can descend down to B under the bass clef and then switch to the fundamental tones down to the B one octave lower, and therefore can play the whole contra (pedal) octave. However like the other deep-low instruments, the use of these lowest tones is questionable.

Some updates about the instruments

• Trumpets
  Trumpets are 4′ instruments. The common trumpets in B-flat or C are tenor instruments (although they are high instruments). The alto instruments are the trumpets in D, E-flat, (E), F and G. The soprano instruments are the piccolo trumpets in A, B-flat and C. The baritone instruments are the (bass) trumpets in lower E-flat and F while the bass instruments are the (bass) trumpets in lower B-flat and C.
• Cornets
  The cornet in B-flat is the soprano instrument among the saxhorns, although it is pitched same as the trumpet in B-flat (which is a tenor instrument). There is also a higher cornet in E-flat, i.e. it is the sopranino one among the saxhorns.
• French horns (Hunting horns)
  The French horns play from the 2nd harmonics (like the trumpets and other high brass instruments). They do not usually use the fundamental tones. The horn in B-flat has the same ground pitch as the tenor trombone (ground pitch B-flat under bass clef), but it plays from the 2nd harmonics (E under the bass clef to B-flat in the middle of bass clef) upwards. The horn in F is pitched one fourth lower than the horn in B-flat, i.e. it is pitched same as the (contra-)bass trombone in F, and plays from the 2nd harmonics (B under the bass clef to F under the bass clef) upwards. There are also discant (or treble) horn in E-flat, one fourth higher than the horn in B-flat, and in F, one fifth higher than the horn in B-flat, or one octave higher than the horn in F. There are combined horns which integrated some of these in a horn. The most common French horn is the double horn in F/B-flat which is notated in F. There are also the double horn in B-flat/high F and the triple horn in F/B-flat/high F. Considering the horn in B-flat as the soprano instrument and the horn in (lower) F as the alto instrument, then the horns are 16’/8′ instruments (8′ if they plays on the upper octaves of their range). Considering the horn in B-flat as the tenor instrument, the horn in (lower) F as the baritone/bass instrument, the horn in (higher) E-flat/F as the alto instrument, then the horns are 8’/4′ instruments (4′ if they plays on the upper octaves of their range).
• Trombones
  The trombones are 8′ instruments, except when they use the fundamental tones, then they are 16′ instruments. Since there is a gap between the fundamental tones and the full range from the 2nd harmonics, the trombones often have attachment to extend their range downwards to fill in this gap. So the tenor trombone in B-flat can have an attachment to switch the pitch one fourth lower (in F like the (contra-)bass trombone), the alto trombone in E-flat can have an attachment to switch the pitch one fourth lower (in B-flat like the tenor trombone), the (contra-)bass trombone in F often have an attachment to switch the pitch one fourth lower (in C – i.e. ground tone pedal C) and the contrabass trombone in BB-flat (one octave lower than the tenor trombone) often have an attachment to switch the pitch one fourth lower (in FF – ground tone F one octave lower than the pedal F). The bass trombones often have another attachment in order to fill in the gap completely. So the common bass trombone is a tenor trombone fully extended. The (contra-)bass trombone in F also often have 2 attachments. There are 2 types of this additional attachment, the independent attachment and the dependent attachment. The dependent attachment is used upon using the 1st attachment, and it lowers the pitch by a fifth instead of a fourth if using the 1st attachment only. The independent attachment can be used alone, then it lowers the pitch by a major third (on a tenor/bass trombone it is therefore called the attachment in G-flat). When used together with the 1st attachment, they lower the pitch by a minor sixth, therefore tenor/bass trombones with independent attachments are often listed as bass trombone/complete trombone in B-flat/G-flat/F/D. Similarly the (contra-)bass trombone in F with 2 attachments is pitched either in F/C/B-flat or F/D-flat/C/A. Notice that the trombones are non-transposing instruments.
• Tubas
  The tubas are the baritone and bass instruments among the saxhorns. The tubas in E-flat and F are the baritone instruments and the tubas in B-flat and C are the bass instruments. The tubas in C and F are often used in concert (in a symphony orchestra) and are non-transposing instruments. The tubas in B-flat and E-flat are often used in brass band/military band and they are notated in B-flat. A tuba player plays the tuba part notated in B-flat on a tuba in E-flat as same as playing the concert tuba part on a tuba in F (i.e. the fingering is the same). The tubas are 16’/8′ instruments (16′ if they use the fundamental tones). The tubas in B-flat and C, like the contrabass trombone in B-flat can even play the tones one octave lower than the pedal tones (tones in the lowest octave on the piano – the subcontra octave) so they can also act as 32′ instruments.