Quarter-Tone Accordion

Abstract

Being unable to ‘unhear’ the microtonal sound-world, my PhD project has involved designing, developing, and manufacturing the first Quarter-Tone Accordion that has been purposely built to be a microtonal instrument, followed by a process of understanding what this accordion is. As such, to explore its technical, practical, and sonic characteristics or (un)limitations, collaborating with various artists became necessary. Having worked with nine composers and created ten pieces, both resistances and affordances (Gibson, 1979) of the instrument have emerged. Resistances always bring out - or sometimes, even become - affordances, and vice versa, and all the elements that constitute this back-and-forth dynamic is (what) the Quarter-Tone Accordion (can be). This is portrayed in the album ISPILU: Works for the Quarter-Tone Accordion, released by Divine Art Recordings, Métier, in September 2023.

Gibson, J "The Theory of Affordances" in The Ecological Approach to Visual Perception, chapter 8, Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1979.

Main image: Lore with the Quarter-Tone Accordion by Ura Iturralde

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Bio

Lore Amenabar Larrañaga completed both her Bachelor and Master’s studies at the Sibelius Academy, University of the Arts Helsinki, with Prof Matti Rantanen, Dr Mika Väyrynen and Dr Veli Kujala, having graduated with first-class honours. An accomplished performer across styles – from folk music to the classical canon – Lore is especially passionate about artistic collaboration and performing new music.  Her work is generously supported by ‘La Caixa Foundation’.