De toonstudie (2011)
for quarter-tone organ

At the beginning of 2011, I continued my intro to composition course with a new instructor. Our first prompt was to compose a piece for solo violin, using pitches based on the eighth partial of the harmonic series and above – in essence, a first foray into exploring “pure” musical intervals based on simple mathematical ratios between the frequencies of notes, not the approximated compromise (twelve equal divisions of the octave) that most Western music employs. 

At that time, I struggled to define a framework for understanding and using this expanded harmonic vocabulary, especially in a compelling way. I was experiencing a period of intellectual and emotional overwhelm, and the deluge of novelty that most new university students experience only compounded this – I was without the time or capacity to integrate new ideas with much sophistication. The result for this assignment was a limited engagement with these new microtonal possibilities: a simple étude using approximations of upper-harmonic ratios by merely dividing the octave into twenty-four equal intervals (known as quarter-tones).

On revisiting this piece, the exclusive use of quarter-tones appears to be an ironically hindering but understandable misstep. Though it is fairly easy to conceptualize dividing the octave into twice as many steps as is common practice – imagine adding a key between each existing key on a piano – deviations by a quarter-tone only appear relatively high in the harmonic series, and its use can sound more grating than other simple frequency ratios. The history of quarter-tone use by other composers has robustly illustrated these challenges but also the new possibilities for expression that emerge. This short composition does at least avoid more severe dissonances by placing the microtonal intervals in a scale with steps never smaller than a typical semitone (the pitch distance between two keys on a normal piano) and mostly avoiding harmony (sounding multiple pitches at once). To this day, the challenges of microtonal (or xenharmonic) composition pose many interesting questions to me, particularly regarding how music can be structured, notated, and perceived – more recent developments to come.

The current version of this piece has adapted the violin part for a (somewhat hypothetical) organ with twenty-four keys per octave, as microtonal playback is not yet fully supported by the software used to generate this track. Since the landscape of possible articulations and tone colours differ wildly between these two instruments, I manipulated the registration for the organ playback (simulating the instrument’s different stops) to enhance the timbral and dynamic interest. A rendition of the violin version will be released when possible. This playback demo was created using MuseScore 4 and the Muse Sounds and MS Basic libraries.

De toonstudie (2011)

an old unreleased classic with the homie!

Stumble in Pangea ft. Kevin Kyogre & Evening Bloom

Toronto-based multi-instrumentalist, composer and music educator with diverse roots in classical, jazz and contemporary art music, as well as street performance and musical theatre. Frequently juggling a unique array of saxophones, bassoons, and clarinets (even cello) within a single performance, he has performed alongside ensembles from across southern British Columbia, including the Victoria Symphony, Theatre Under the Stars Vancouver, and as a founding member of the BT Williams Quartet. Whitehorne earned a Bachelor of Music from the University of Victoria in 2018 and currently pursues academic research into music, language, and the brain, as part of graduate studies in psychology. As a composer, his output includes works for solo musicians, chamber ensemble and larger forces. Whitehorne has often been heard in an eclectic mix of venues around Victoria, from the Royal Theatre to the Inner Harbour causeway, passionate about sharing fresh, engaging music with new audiences.

New tracks tagged #Quarter-Tone