Reminiscence, Reflections, and Resonance
The Just Intonation Resophonic Guitar and Lou Harrison'sScenes from Nek Chand
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 5835459 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Giacomo Fiore (corresponding author) |
| Year | 2012 |
| Volume | 6 |
| Issue | 2 |
| Pages | 211-237 |
| Publication date | 2012-05-01 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Journal of the Society for American Music (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1752-1963 • E-ISSN: 1752-1971 |
| Publisher | Cambridge University Press (CUP) (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1017/s1752196312000041 |
| OpenAlex | W2325431829 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 6 |
Upon accepting a commission for a solo guitar piece from the 2002 Open Minds Music Festival in San Francisco, Lou Harrison decided to write Scenes from Nek Chand for a unique instrument: a resonator guitar refretted in just intonation. Harrison's last completed work draws inspiration from the sound of Hawaiian music that the composer remembered hearing in his youth, as well as from the artwork populating Nek Chand's Rock Garden of Chandigarh, India. Based on archival research, oral histories, and the author's insights as a performer of contemporary music, this article examines the piece's inception, outlining the organological evolution of resophonic guitars and their relationship to Hawaiian music. It addresses the practical and aesthetic implications of the composer's choice of tuning, and examines the work of additional artists, such as Terry Riley and Larry Polansky, who have contributed to the growing repertoire for the just intonation resophonic guitar
Guitar · Intonation · Percussion · Performing arts · Diverse Musicological Studies · Music History and Culture · Musicology and Musical Analysis
| Highly cited | No |
|---|