Eastern Tone System/Microtones

2005-06-10 06:08 am

Back in 2001, this forum had several threads on this topic, with three brief articles by Ertugrul providing an introduction to the topic, comments by Fred N., and replies by various members. I don't know whether anything further has been done in the NWC sphere, but I am particularly interested in persuading someone to provide us with a font containing the accidentals for the Eastern Tone System.

The simplest version is Persian; Iranians have two accidental signs in addition to the usual sharps and flats. The sori is a > sign with two vertical lines through it, and raises the note by a third of a semitone (33.33 cents); the koron is has a stem with a little > at the top; it lowers the note by two thirds of a semitone (66.66 cents). These figures are of course approximate; in practice the size of the interval is variable, and that is true of the two other systems also.

The Arab system adds to the usual Western set four accidentals. A sharp with only one vertical line instead of two raises the note by a quarter-tone (50 cents); a sharp with two verticals and three horizontals raises it by three quarter-tones (150 cents). A flat with a horizontal slash throught the upright lowers the note by a quarter-tone; a flat with a double upright lowers the note by three quarter-tones.

The Turkish system has eight accidentals, two of wiich are graphically identical to the ordinary sharp and flat respectively, and three of which are identical to signs used in the Arab system. The unit of measurement in theory is a comma of 22.22 cents + 1/9 of a whole-tone interval; the octave is reckoned as containing 53 commas. The sharp with one upright raises the note by one comma; the ordinary sharp raises it by four commas; a sharp with one upright and three horizontals raises it by five commas; and a sharp with two uprights and three horizontals raises it by eight commas. A reversed flat lowers the note by one comma; a flat with a slash through the upright lowers it by four commas; an ordinary flat lowers it by five commas; and a flat with two slashes lowers it by eight commas.

Allowing for an overlap of three signs between the Arab and Turkish systems, that gives us nine signs not found in ordinary music fonts. It would be nice to have them.

Stephen

Re: Eastern Tone System/Microtones

Reply #1 – 2005-06-10 08:24 pm

Ertugrul has created a font that should suit your needs.
He e-mailed it to me some time ago.
Maybe it's now available in the Scriptorium.
If not, maybe he'll e-mail it to you.

Re: Eastern Tone System/Microtones

Reply #2 – 2005-06-11 02:08 pm

I don't find it at the Scriptorium; I did find Robert Allgeyer's Notehedz font, which should provide shape-notes; I'm happy to have it.

To my list of Eastern desiderata, I would like to add those proposed by the Working Committee for Notation of the International Musicalogical Society--see their 'Report' in International Music Society, Report of the Tenth Congress, Ljubljana 1967 (Kassel: Baerenreiter, and Ljubljana: University of Ljubljana, 1970), pp 473-477. The only signs that do not occur already in the Arab or Turkish systems are those for the flat of 50 cents--a vertical line joined at the bottom by a short diagonal (45 degrees upwards) on the right, and the sign for a flat of 150 cents--the 50-cent flat with a bow added at the end of the diagonal member.

Meanwhile, I request the Scriptorium to add Ertugrul's font to their collection, and how about it, Ertugrul, would you send me the file while we're waiting?

Stephen

Re: Eastern Tone System/Microtones

Reply #3 – 2005-06-15 11:43 pm

Stephen,
I think you'll need to contact both Ertugrul and the Scriptorium (Richard) directly, as I don't htink either of then visit this forum that much. Both are on the newsgroup more frequently.
A

Re: Eastern Tone System/Microtones

Reply #4 – 2005-07-12 12:23 am

Sorry for missing this thread (and the forum in general).

Please send email to ertugrulinanc at superonline dot com for the font. It's been "in progress" ever since, which is why I haven't submitted it to the Scripto. Maybe I should have it uploaded as beta anyway.

Thanks for your interest.