Techniques of Polytempic Polymicrotonal Music Composition: Freedom of Choice and Intention, part XI

 Why is this Philosophical Question Relevant? 

CHOICE AND INTENT

During post-war music composition, the chaotic and hapless state of the geopolitical arena had caused ontological shock to people around the planet. People feel out of control, as they are starting to again, today.

One way to deal with feeling helpless is to immerse oneself in some kind of system of control. Schönberg had created his system after the Great War, in the 1920s. Arnold, in fact, served in that war. One interesting outcome of Schönberg's system was the abnegation of personal choice; systems became paramount. This led to total serialism, and Cage's chance operations similarly showed another aspect of the dethroning of one's own personal choice. As though the composer's personal druthers were to be removed at once. 

Polytempic Polymicrotonality, a non-system system, encourages choice and intention. Out of 5000 Scala microtonal scales, one MUST choose. Out of unlimited tempi, one MUST choose. Similarly, I do not employ Cowell's overtone series ratios to tempi, nor do I subscribe to the hegemony of the overtone series in my non-system at all. Actually, the "unlimited" theoretical overtone series includes every pitch to infinity. This, a fortiori, results in an infinite composite of intervals and pitches which subsumes every system extant today. Just say "infinite overtone series," and that is cause enough. 

This is where choice and intention come into play, again. I would rather do like to have multiple competing units of microtones and tempi. Even if the 1200-cent gamut were to become our one and only scale, which it really is, one must carve it up to meet compositional ends. This involves intent and choice. 

My intent is to use more of a polymicrochromatic line, voice-leading, and harmony. In this sense, the issue that 96-tone equal contains quartertones, 12-tones, and 8th tones is irrelevant. The audience can hear the gradual intervallic compression of each successively diminishing microtonal grouping, or system. This is enough. One has the freedom to declare set systems. No prevailing law says this can not be done, etc. If you want to use something, just say "I feel like using this" without any deference to a system or a process that academics give their loyalty to. This reminds me of when Debussy refused to modulate while Franck kept yelling at him to 'MODULATE, MODULATE'!

I am saying all this to make one point. You can use any system you want, any tempo you want. You can use Spectral techniques, New Complexity, Minimalism, Tonality, Atonality, Drones, or serial computer music with strict procedures. This is a non-system system. I am simply writing about my own personal druthers in composing this new aesthetic. New and old. The aberrant years happened to be the common practice period using the 12th root of 2. Today, in 2025, we have many, many more systems. More than 150 meantone temperaments were available in the Baroque period.

By the way, these blogs are essentially introductory blogs that will grow over time as I continue reflecting on some kind of methodology for teaching this aesthetic. 

So, if you want to roll the dice for your materials, then use chance operations, and if you simply just want to choose for no reason whatsoever, then do that. 

to be continued...