List of quarter tone pieces

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding reliable references. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (March 2009)

A selection of compositions using quarter tones:

• Aphex Twin

Selected Ambient Works Volume II (1994); the track "02 [radiator]" features a quarter tone tuning in the basso ostinato.

• Jan Bach

Concert Variations for solo euphonium; the euphoniumist frequently creates quarter tones by using alternate "out of tune" valve combinations and subtle embouchure adjustments.

• Clarence Barlow

Cogluotobusisletmesi for piano, 2 or more hands. The notes, B, D, E, and F-sharp on the keyboard are lowered in tuning by a quarter tone in all octaves.

• Hans Barth

Concerto for Quarter Tone Piano and Quarter Tone Strings (1930)

• Ernest Bloch

Piano Quintet No. 1; the first movement features use of quarter-tones in the string parts.^[1]

• Béla Bartók

String Quartet No. 6; the third movement Burletta contains quarter-tone tuning used for parodistic effect.^[2] Quarter tones are also used in Bartók's ballet The Miraculous Mandarin.

Sonata for Solo Violin; the fourth movement Presto contains quarter-tones, but they are not "structural features." This movement also calls for third-tones.

Violin Concerto no. 2; the cadenza in the final movement requires the use of quarter-tones, but only as an effect.^[3]

• Julian Carrillo^[4]

Capricho for piano in quarter-tones (1959)

Capricho for solo viola in quarter-tones (1926)

Casi-sonatas 1-6 for solo violin, viola or cello in quarter-tones (c.1960s)

Concertino in quarter-, eighth- and sixteenth-tones for violin, cello and harp with orchestra (1926)

Concerto for 1/4-tone and 1/8-tone cello and orchestra (1958)

Concerto No. 1 for quarter-tone violin and orchestra (1963)

Concerto No. 2 for quarter-tone violin and orchestra (1964)

Mass for Pope John XXIII for male chorus in quarter-tones (1920s)

Preludio a Cristobol Colón for vocalizing soprano, octavina, flute, harp, violin, and guitar (1922)

Serenata for cello in quarter-tones with English horn, harp, and string quartet (1927)

70 estudios for solo violin in quarter-tones (c. 1927?) {also for solo viola, cello, or double-bass}

Sonata for solo guitar in quarter-tones (c.1924)

Sonata (Amanecer en Berlin 13) for solo harp in quarter-tones (1931)

Sonata casi fantasia for violin, violoncello and guitar in quarter-, eighth- and sixteenth-tones (1925)

String Quartet in quarter-tones (c.1924) {There are also 7 others with some using smaller intervals.}

Suite for solo guitar in quarter-tones (1960)

3 estudios en forma de sonatina for solo violin in quarter-tones (1927)

Symphony No. 1 (Colombia) for orchestra in quarter-tones (c.1924)

Symphony No. 2 (Colombia) for orchestra in quarter-tones (1926)

• John Corigliano

Chiaroscuro for two pianos tuned a quarter tone apart (1997)

• Mildred Couper

Xanadu for two pianos tuned a quarter tone apart (ca. 1930)

Dirge for two pianos tuned a quarter tone apart, published in New Music quarterly (January 1937)

Dirge for violin and piano (1937)

Rumba for two pianos tuned a quarter tone apart (ca. 1937)

• Danny Elfman

Soundtrack score for A Simple Plan features quarter-tones

• Carlo Forlivesi

Lux Subtilissima (2006), "Consort Musicke" for string quartet (1/4 and 1/6 tones are used)

En la soledat i el silenci (2007), for hyper-tempered koto and guitar

• Jerry Goldsmith

Soundtrack score for Alien features quarter-tones

• Sofia Gubaidulina

Quaternion for cello quartet, two of the cellos are tuned down a quarter tone

Music for Flute, Strings, and Percussion, the strings are divided into two sections, one of which is tuned a quarter-tone lower than the other.

Garten von Freuden und Traurigkeiten for flute, harp, and viola includes a quarter-sharp and three-quarter-sharp at one point in the piece.

• Sampo Haapamäki

Velinikka, concerto for quarter-tone accordion (2008)

• Georg Friedrich Haas

Hommage à Steve Reich, for piano player on two pianos tuned a quarter tone apart (1983)

Hommage à György Ligeti, for piano player on two pianos tuned a quarter tone apart (1985)

• Alois Hába^[5]

Suite for string orchestra (1917)

Fantasy for violin solo in Quarter-tone System

Fantasy for violin & quarter-tone piano, Op. 21

Matka (The Mother), opera in quarter-tones for soloists, chorus, and orchestra (1930)

Sonata for quarter-tone piano, Op 62

String Quartet No. 2 ("In quarter-tone system"), Op.12

String Quartet No. 12 ("In quarter-tone system"), Op. 90

Suite No. 1 (Hába) for quarter-tone clarinet & quarter-tone piano, Op. 24

Suite No. 6 (Hába) for quarter-tone piano, Op. 88

Suite for 4 trombones in quarter-tone system, Op. 72

Suite for violin solo in quarter-tone system, Op. 93

• Charles Ives

Quarter-Tone Pieces (3), for two pianos, one tuned a quarter-tone sharp, S. 128 (K. 3C3) (1923-1924)^[6][7]

• Veli Kujala

Hyperchromatic Counterpoint for quarter-tone accordion and 5.0 surround tape (2006-2009)

• György Ligeti

Ramifications for 12 solo strings (1968-69), divided into two groups tuned a quarter-tone apart

Sonata for Solo Viola, includes 1/4, 1/6, and 1/8 tones.

• Henry Mancini

Soundtrack score for Wait Until Dark (1967) features extensive use of quarter-tones including two pianos tuned a quarter-tone apart

• Frank J. Oteri

circles mostly in wood, a quarter-tone wind quintet in five movements (2002)

Fair and Balanced, a quarter-tone saxophone quartet in four short movements (2004)

• Krzysztof Penderecki

Emanations (Emanacje, 1959) for two string orchestras tuned a quarter tone apart

Threnody to the Victims of Hiroshima, for string orchestra, frequently makes use of quarter tones.

Symphony #1 (1973), commissioned by the British firm Perkins Engines, is heavily quarter-tone, including clusters of such.

• Leonard Rosenman

Soundtrack score for Sybil (1976) features quarter-tones

• Alfred Schnittke

Piano Quintet

• Tui St. George Tucker

The Angelus (words by Dennis Corbett) for Baritone & quartertone piano or keyboard

Hot Cross Buns for quarter-tone pianos

Little Pieces for quarter-tone pianos

Quartertone Carol for High Voice with Alto, Tenor & Bass Recorders

Quartertone Lullabies 1 and 2 for Alto, tenor & bass recorder

Quartertone Lullaby 3 (Midnight Microtone) for Alto recorder, flute, and clarinet

Quartertone Recorder Duets

Sarabande for quarter-tone harpsichords (1986)

Vigils 1 and 2 for quarter-tone organ

• Ivan Wyschnegradsky

Quatre fragments, for 2 pianos in quarter tones (2^nd version), Op. 5 (1918)

Chant douloureux et étude, for violin & piano, Op. 6 (1918)

Méditation sur deux thèmes de la Journée de l'existence, for cello & piano, Op. 7 (1918-1919)

L'Évangile Rouge, cycle for voice & 2 pianos in quarter tones (2^nd version), Op. 8 (1918-1920)

Chants sur Nietzsche (2), for baritone & 2 pianos in quarter tones, Op. 9 (1923)

Variations sur la note Do, for 2 pianos in quarter tones, Op. 10 (1918-1920)

Chant nocturne, for violin & 2 pianos in quarter tones, Op. 11 (1927)

Dithyrambe, for 2 pianos in quarter tones, Op. 12 (1923-1924, revised vers. by Bruce Mather, 1991)

String Quartet No. 1, Op. 13 (1923-1924)

Chœurs (2, words by A. Pomorsky), for mixed choir, 4 pianos in quarter tones & percussions, Op. 14 (1926)

Prélude et fugue sur un chant de l'Évangile rouge, for quartertone piano, version for string quartet (lost), Op. 15 (1927)

Prélude et danse, for 2 pianos in quarter tones, Op. 16 (1926)

Ainsi parlait Zarathoustra, symphonie, for 4 pianos in quarter tones (sketches for orchestration in Bibliothèque Nationale, Paris), Op. 17 (1929-1930, revised 1936, Ed. L'Oiseau-Lyre)

String Quartet No 2, Op. 18 (1930-1931)

Études de concert(2), for 2 pianos in quarter tones, Op. 19 (1931)

Étude en forme de scherzo, for 2 pianos in quarter tones, Op. 20 (1931)

Prélude et fugue, for 2 pianos in quarter tones, Op. 21 (1932)

Pièces (2), for 2 pianos in quarter tones, without Op. (1934)

Premier fragment symphonique, for 4 pianos in quarter tones, Op. 23a; for orchestra, Op. 23c (1934, orch. vers. 1967)

Deuxième fragment symphonique, for 4 pianos in quarter tones, timpani & percussions, Op. 24 (1937)

Poème, for 2 pianos in quarter tones, without Op. (1937)

Linnite, pantomime in 1 act & 5 scenes, for 3 voices & 4 pianos in quarter tones, Op. 25 (1937)

Préludes dans tous les tons de l'échelle chromatique diatonisée à 13 sons (24), for 2 pianos in quarter tones, Op. 22 (1934, rev. 1960)

À Richard Wagner, for baritone & 2 pianos in quarter tones, Op. 26 (1934)

Acte chorégraphique, for bass-baritone, mixed choir, 4 pianos in quarter tones, percussions & ad. lib. instruments (viola, clarinet in C & balalaika), Op. 27 (1937-1940)

Cosmos, for 4 pianos in quarter tones, Op. 28 (1939-1940)

Chants russes (2), for bass-baritone & 2 pianos in quarter tones, Op. 29 (1940-1941)

Troisième fragment symphonique, for 4 pianos in quarter tones & ad. lib. percussions, Op. 31 (1946)

Fugues (2), for 2 pianos in quarter tones, Op. 32 (1951)

Variations sans thème et conclusion (5), for orchestra, Op. 33 (1951-1952)^[8]

Sonate en un mouvement, for viola & 2 pianos in quarter tones, Op. 34 (1945-1959)

Transparence I, for Onde Martenot & 2 pianos in quarter tones, Op. 35 (1953)

Quatrième fragment symphonique, for 4 Ondes Martenot & 4 pianos in quarter tones, Op. 38c (1956)

Polyphonies spatiales, for piano, harmonium, Onde Martenot, percussions & string orchestra, Op. 39 (1956)

Études sur les densités et les volumes, for 2 pianos in quarter tones, Op. 39b (1956)

Dialogue à deux, for 2 pianos in quarter tones, Op. 41 (1958-1973)

Dialogue, for 2 pianos in quarter tones, 8 hands, without Op. (1959)

Composition en quarts de ton for string quartet Op. 43 (1960)

Études sur les mouvements rotatoires, for 2 pianos in quarter tones, 8 hands, Op. 45a; for chamber orchestra, Op. 45c (1961)

Composition II, for 2 pianos in quarter tones, Op. 46b (1960)

Transparence II, for Onde Martenot & 2 pianos in quarter tones, Op. 47 (1962-1963)

Intégrations, for 2 pianos in quarter tones, Op. 49 (1962)

L'Éternel Étranger, opera, for voices, mixed choir, 4 pianos in quarter tones, percussions and orchestra (unfinished orchestration), Op. 50 (1940-1960)

Symphonie en un mouvement, for orchestra, Op. 51b (1969)

Composition, for Ondes Martenot quartet, Op. 52 (no date)

String Trio, Op. 53 (1979, unfinished, completed by Claude Ballif)

Trauergesang, Epigrammen, Ein Stück, for quartertone piano, without Op. (undated, found by M. Smolka in Alois Hába's archives in 1992)

• Toufic Succar

Prélude

Suite Op.56 No.1 Mode Bayati: mijana-errêdde-hida-ala'mayyem-oumi thaddare ya Zêna-'al yadi

Suite Op.56 No.2 Mode Huzam: marmar zamani-al'of mach'al-ya hnayyina-a'rrozana-ya laylu'ssabi-meshta'erja'adday'a

Suite Op.59 No.1 Mode Iraqi: takassim-remmanâ ya habibi-Idi widak'al wadi-ah ya asmar el lawn-bouzzoulof-ya ghzayel

Remmanâk yâ habîbi

Jamlo

Sâfar Zamâni

Idi w'iadk 'al wadi

Ala 'mayyam

Yal laylous'sabi

Bellazi askar

SUITE POPULAIRE LIBANAISE en ré rast op.17 pour quatuor à cordes : Prélude

SUITE POPULAIRE LIBANAISE en ré rast op.17 pour quatuor à cordes : Remmânak ya habibi

SUITE POPULAIRE LIBANAISE en ré rast op.17 pour quatuor à cordes : Idi w idak 3al wadi

SUITE POPULAIRE LIBANAISE en ré rast op.17 pour quatuor à cordes : L eyn el mal'a la' ini

SUITE POPULAIRE LIBANAISE en ré rast op.17 pour quatuor à cordes : Etsan ya sabaya

SUITE POPULAIRE LIBANAISE en ré rast op.17 pour quatuor à cordes : Zahlé

SUITE POPULAIRE LIBANAISE en ré rast op.17 pour quatuor à cordes : Layya w layya

SUITE POPULAIRE LIBANAISE en ré rast op.17 pour quatuor à cordes : Hezzé mahremtek

SUITE POPULAIRE LIBANAISE en ré rast op.17 pour quatuor à cordes : Ya buzzuluf

SUITE POPULAIRE LIBANAISE en ré rast op.17 pour quatuor à cordes : Ya gzayyel

FANTAISIE ORIENTALE en ☺ré saba op.52 pour violoncelle : Adagio - Allegro

FANTAISIE ORIENTALE en ☺ré saba op.52 pour violoncelle : Ta'asim - Andante

FANTAISIE ORIENTALE en ☺ré saba op.52 pour violoncelle : Dabké - Allegretto

SUITE EN LA BAYATI pour violon seul op.80 : Introduction: Adagio Fugue: Andantino

SUITE EN LA BAYATI pour violon seul op.80 : Ta'asim (Adagio)

SUITE EN LA BAYATI pour violon seul op.80 : Adagio - Allegretto

QUATRE MORCEAUX POUR CHANT ET PIANO : A tari' el eyn op.44 n.2

QUATRE MORCEAUX POUR CHANT ET PIANO : Hanin op.44 n.3

QUATRE MORCEAUX POUR CHANT ET PIANO : Limada op.49 n.3

QUATRE MORCEAUX POUR CHANT ET PIANO : Nay el hawa op.49 n.2

This list of songs or music-related items is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.

References

• Read Gardner: 20th-Century Microtonal Notation (New York, Greenwood Press, 1990)