Verse:Hmøøh/Rewhd Sgutsis

This page uses music theory work mainly by Praimhín. See also: Verse:Tricin/Talma/Music.

Rewhd Sgutsis

Rewhd Avnin Sgutsis (fT 1136 – fT 1200 (aged 64)) was a Skellan composer and music theorist of the late Classical and early Romantic period.

Todo

• need Skellan literature
• Talman Romantic period society and politics
• should not agree with me on everything

Traits

• Witty and incisive; generous towards her confidants
• Instruments: ðavr, ñamsom, guitar
• Languages:
  • Skellan (native), accent: weak Iasa + Swuntsim
  • Anbirese
  • Windermere
  • Swuntsim (knows a little, her grandparents spoke it)

Early life and education

Sgutsis was born in the city of Hirvahnal, Skella in the Iasa region to a family of Swuntsim descent as the second of three children. Her father was the physicist and composer Avnin Axew, who was professor of physics in the University of Hirvahnal. Her mother, Hvava Sgutsis (adapted from Talman Swuntsim Scütsis), was a ðavr player and music teacher (she was also a composer). Her mother's brother, Mugiv Chətσüde, was a jogóm player.

As a child, she invented just intonation cross-sets, inspired by at a multiplication table. She was allowed to skip boarding school and to enroll in the University of Hiravnol in math at age 10 by taking an entrance exam. She was an exceptionally gifted student and graduated in mathematics and music with honors at age 16 (fT 2052).

After graduating, Sgutsis studied composition and instrumentation with [Anbirese composer]. At this time she began corresponding with a number of Anbirese and Rhythoed composers, musicians and theorists to exchange ideas about music. Much of her theoretical work took place within these letters.

Later life

Later in life Sgutsis made a living performing, conducting and selling her compositions. She published her treatise for the first time in fT 1166.

In fT 1190, Sgutsis secluded herself, intending to focus solely on composition. She lived in a house in Sŋoran until she died of a stroke in fT 1200.

Compositions

In earlier work, Sgutsis used classical-style JI scales, including larger cross sets, and some scales of her own invention. However, later she gravitated more and more towards free JI, since she found fixed scales too restrictive for her purposes.

Sgutsis also dabbled in poetry and set some of her own poems to choral works and art songs, in addition to poetry by such writers as Grouid and Jopah.

• Bwrjadreeg Cantatas
• Many pieces of chamber music, including 17 string quartets and solo ðavr and ñamsom pieces
• Naquian Dances, a Naquian music-inspired suite written in subsets of 41edo.
• Choral pieces
• Art songs
  • Some (many of them love songs) are duets, using the yeejeħrhoog technique
  • Settings of Etsoj Jopah's poems
• A few vyláms
  • One Alice in Wonderland type thing
  • One or two of ___'s tragedies (?)
• Many pieces for the unaccompanied violin / ðavr
• Many pieces for solo guitar

Contributions to music theory

Sgutsis's work on tuning theory includes:

• Cross-sets
• Properties of particular equal temperaments: 19edo, 22edo, 27edo, 31edo, 34edo, 41edo, 46edo
  • 41, 46 and 58 smallest edos that represent 13-limit JI. Sgutsis often used higher edos than 31 but that didn't stick; it was 31edo which caught on.
• Horograms and MOS scales
• Noted that 12edo, 19edo, 22edo, 31edo, 41edo and 46edo were accurate because of the Riemann zeta function
• Proposed 41edo as a system approximating Naquian scales that divide the perfect fifth into 4 or 8 equal parts, in particular building on Jopah's work.

These ideas in particular influenced

• Garinjeor Bloisin: Anbirese music theorist who fully developed regular temperament theory
• Honan Đawhindøø: Fyxoomian classical composer

Bibliography

• (a treatise of all her music theory ideas)
• (collection of essays)
• (an autobiography or a memoir)

Personal life and views

A lesbian, Sgutsis never had children. She had a few female lovers throughout her life.

Family members:

• Osri Sgutsis (older sister) - music teacher
• Yzih Sgutsis (younger sister)

Sgutsis did not identify herself as a member of any Talman religious sect in particular. However, she was a strict vegetarian.

Sgutsis was not very politically active - however, she seems to have been less nationalistic and more universalistic than earlier Anbirese composers, at least in her earlier years. She was generally pro-industrialization and pro-democracy.