Ivor Darreg
Encyclopedia
Ivor Darreg was a leading proponent of and composer
of microtonal
or "xenharmonic" music. He also created a series of experimental musical instruments.
Darreg, a contemporary of Harry Partch
and a close colleague of John H. Chalmers and Erv Wilson
, was one of America's leading theorists and practitioners of experimental intonation and experimental instrument building. Frequently he published his writings in his own Xenharmonic Bulletin.
Darreg was born Kenneth Vincent Gerard O'Hara in Portland
, Oregon
. His father John was editor of a weekly Catholic newspaper and his mother was an artist. He dropped out of school as a teenager, but he had both self-taught facility in at least ten languages and a basic understanding of all the sciences. His real love was music and electronics. Because of his choice of music, his father cast him out, and he and his mother set out on their own with little help from anyone. At that point he took on the name "Ivor," which means "man with bow" (from his cello-playing talents) and "Drareg" (the retrograde of "Gerard"), which he soon changed to "Darreg".
In the forties, Ivor built an Amplified Cello, Amplified Clavichord, and Electric Organ
, the Electric Keyboard Oboe and the Electric Keyboard Drum. The Amplified Clavichord and Electric Organ no longer exist, but the Electric Keyboard Oboe - like the organ, based on blocking oscillator circuits and capable of microtonality -, the Electric Keyboard Drum, which uses buzzer-like relays, and the Amplified Cello are still working.
Darreg lived for much of his adult life in or near Los Angeles
, California
, then spent his final 9 years in San Diego. He coined the term "xenharmonic", designed and built many original microtonal musical instruments, and wrote voluminous amounts of material about various musical tuning
s. Perhaps his most important contribution to music theory
was his idea that different tunings exhibit different "moods".
Darreg's informal network of microtonal musicians writing letters to each other later morphed into the more formal Xenharmonic Alliance, one of the inspirations for the formation of the internet tuning list, first based at Mills College
and now hosted by Yahoo
.
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
of microtonal
Microtonal music
Microtonal music is music using microtones—intervals of less than an equally spaced semitone. Microtonal music can also refer to music which uses intervals not found in the Western system of 12 equal intervals to the octave.-Terminology:...
or "xenharmonic" music. He also created a series of experimental musical instruments.
Darreg, a contemporary of Harry Partch
Harry Partch
Harry Partch was an American composer and instrument creator. He was one of the first twentieth-century composers to work extensively and systematically with microtonal scales, writing much of his music for custom-made instruments that he built himself, tuned in 11-limit just intonation.-Early...
and a close colleague of John H. Chalmers and Erv Wilson
Erv Wilson
Ervin Wilson is a Mexican/American music theorist. Despite his avoidance of academia, Wilson has been influential on those interested in microtonal music and just intonation, especially in the areas of scale, keyboard, and notation design...
, was one of America's leading theorists and practitioners of experimental intonation and experimental instrument building. Frequently he published his writings in his own Xenharmonic Bulletin.
Darreg was born Kenneth Vincent Gerard O'Hara in Portland
Portland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
, Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
. His father John was editor of a weekly Catholic newspaper and his mother was an artist. He dropped out of school as a teenager, but he had both self-taught facility in at least ten languages and a basic understanding of all the sciences. His real love was music and electronics. Because of his choice of music, his father cast him out, and he and his mother set out on their own with little help from anyone. At that point he took on the name "Ivor," which means "man with bow" (from his cello-playing talents) and "Drareg" (the retrograde of "Gerard"), which he soon changed to "Darreg".
In the forties, Ivor built an Amplified Cello, Amplified Clavichord, and Electric Organ
Electric organ
In biology, the electric organ is an organ common to all electric fish used for the purposes of creating an electric field. The electric organ is derived from modified nerve or muscle tissue...
, the Electric Keyboard Oboe and the Electric Keyboard Drum. The Amplified Clavichord and Electric Organ no longer exist, but the Electric Keyboard Oboe - like the organ, based on blocking oscillator circuits and capable of microtonality -, the Electric Keyboard Drum, which uses buzzer-like relays, and the Amplified Cello are still working.
Darreg lived for much of his adult life in or near Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, then spent his final 9 years in San Diego. He coined the term "xenharmonic", designed and built many original microtonal musical instruments, and wrote voluminous amounts of material about various musical tuning
Musical tuning
In music, there are two common meanings for tuning:* Tuning practice, the act of tuning an instrument or voice.* Tuning systems, the various systems of pitches used to tune an instrument, and their theoretical bases.-Tuning practice:...
s. Perhaps his most important contribution to music theory
Music theory
Music theory is the study of how music works. It examines the language and notation of music. It seeks to identify patterns and structures in composers' techniques across or within genres, styles, or historical periods...
was his idea that different tunings exhibit different "moods".
Darreg's informal network of microtonal musicians writing letters to each other later morphed into the more formal Xenharmonic Alliance, one of the inspirations for the formation of the internet tuning list, first based at Mills College
Mills College
Mills College is an independent liberal arts women's college founded in 1852 that offers bachelor's degrees to women and graduate degrees and certificates to women and men. Located in Oakland, California, Mills was the first women's college west of the Rockies. The institution was initially founded...
and now hosted by Yahoo
Yahoo!
Yahoo! Inc. is an American multinational internet corporation headquartered in Sunnyvale, California, United States. The company is perhaps best known for its web portal, search engine , Yahoo! Directory, Yahoo! Mail, Yahoo! News, Yahoo! Groups, Yahoo! Answers, advertising, online mapping ,...
.
External links
- Ivor Darreg at sonic-arts.com
- Ivor Darreg at afn.org
- Ivor Darreg and Xenharmonics article at Perfect Sound Forever online magazine
- Ivor Darreg at frogpeak.org
- The tuning list at yahoo.com