...IVOR DARREG (1917-1994) was one of the most important microtonal composers, theorists, and instrument-builders in post-war America.

His encyclopedic musical writings are a treasure trove of groundbreaking new ideas about music. Ivor's complete writings (available here) span a period of 52 years, and contain information about many different kinds of microtonal tunings, and many different aspects of microtonal composition-- as well as fascinating insights about acoustics, information theory, digital and analog electronics, the history & psychology of music, and how (and why!) to build and tune your own home-made microtonal instruments.

His classic 1963-1992 Xenharmonic Bulletins (from the Greek word xenos, 'xenos,' meaning 'foreign': thus, 'foreign harmonies') have inspired generations of adventurous composers and microtonalists and instrument-builders. The Xenharmonic Bulletins continue to prove their relevance in the 21st century as more and more composers recognize the importance of Ivor's realization that each microtonal tuning has its own "sound," or "mood," and therefore each microtonal tuning boasts different "laws" of harmony.

...Ivor's microtonal CD "Detwelvulate!" offers a vivid selection of his music. The disc contains 74 minutes of xenharmonic music performed by Ivor on his unique instruments and a variety of microtuned digital synthesizers. Most of the tunings on this compact disc have seldom (if ever) been heard before.

Ivor built his first electronic musical instrument in 1936, and throughout his life he constructed many amazing microtonal instruments -- the keyboard oboe, the hob-nailed newel post, an orchestra of microtonal metallophones and refretted "detwelvulated" microtonal guitars... And, most notably, the megalyra, an 8-foot-long amplified steel guitar whose earth-shaking sound has been likened to "tuned thunder."

...Ivor's music and ideas and exotic new instruments received acclaim in LIFE magazine, OMNI, OPTION, and many other publications.

Ivor composed reams of microtonal music in many different microtonal tunings. Some of his xenharmonic musical scores are available here for downloading.

Ivor also refretted more than a dozen guitars to different microtonal tunings, and his articles on microtonal guitar music were published in Guitar Player and elsewhere. His Xenharmonic Bulletin No. 7 is devoted entirely to fretting tables and instructions for refretting guitars to microtonal tunings, along with hands-on practical discussion of the properties and "sound" or "mood" of each of those xenharmonic tunings.

...In part due to Ivor's unstinting efforts to educate generations of musicians, theorists and acousticians and instrument-builders about microtonality, many other microtonal web sites now exist...and microtonality seems on the verge of becoming a mass movement. Ivor wrote for decades about the "Xenharmonic Alliance" of microtonal composers and theorists working together with the aid of correspondence and by phone...now that the world wide web has arrived, his prescient vision has finally become reality.