Costa: "Elegy-Waltz" - Piano (17-Tone Microtonal)

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“Elegy-Waltz” in 17-edo (equal division of the octave) explores the piano in the harmonic possibilities of this tuning system, which provides for excellent approximations of the harmonic series – with exception of the major third, harmonic 5, which is sharp by almost 40 cents (40% of a 1/2-tone); at the same time, the fifths are sharp by only 4 cents (6 cents sharper than 12-edo) and sound very pure and similar to what we are used to. This tuning is ideal for the piano because this instrument has a stretched overtone series (partials are progressively sharper than the natural multiples of the fundamental), thus matching the error-bias of 17-edo, which approximates the overtones mostly being a bit too sharp (10 to 15 cents) and making the instrument sound very consonantly - even though the consonances might be unsual to the unacquainted ear.

Taking the cue from there, the piece explores 2 kinds of harmonies: the stacking of 5ths or 4ths – that “sus” (suspended harmony) sound - and the somewhat “dominantic” and quite “spectral” combination of harmonics 6:7:9:11. The major third is used exclusively as a passing note – until the end of the piece, in which it appears in the chord before the last, a plagal (from C) F major (with natural 7, 9, 11 and 13). The undulating, repeating patterns intend to caress the listener into this such unique world of harmonic sound, with a rhythmic ostinato throughout - starting hesitantly and using the “neutral” 6th (from c: g-sharp) which corresponds very accurately (+6,5 cents) to the 13th harmonic, seeming to hover between “major” and “minor” – between “happy” and “sad” – perhaps inviting into an emotional place of blissful ambiguity, somewhere around melancholy and contemplation.

The discursive structure is a classical sonata form: exposition, development, re-exposition and coda - but with the order of thematic groups inverted in the reexposition and an episode appering only in the development and in the reexposition again. The palette of contrast between the thematic groups in their character and rhythmic profiles is relatively restrained (perhaps a similar strategy as of the 1st mvt of “Moonlight” Sonata?), possibly with the effect of concentrating the musical events around the harmonic information and its development.

I wrote the piece playing on a Lumatone keyboard with Surge XT synth plug-in. The recording was made editing MIDI in Reaper (DAW) using the amazing Pianoteq plug-in (which in my view does incredible accoustic modeling) and including the drawing of extensive automation (dynamics, expression, pedals etc).

0:00 Exposition
0:25 1st thematic Group
1:30 Transition
1:58 2nd thematic Group
3:50 Retransition

4:12 Development
5:26 Episode
6:35 Transition

7:08 Reexposition - 2nd thematic Group
9:11 1st Thematic Group
9:58 Episode
10:50 Transition

11:12 Coda