FROM THE EDITOR
It is with great pleasure that we relaunch Xenharmonikon. It has been a long journey of over a year and a half of working, planning and rethinking.
I am taking this opportunity to explain how Xenharmonikon will not only continue the work of the past but also be different in various ways. Most of these changes stem from a shift in format from print to online which makes possible new ways of organizing the journal. Innovation is a vital aspect of microtonality and intonational practice, thus the subject calls for innovative forms of presentation.
The new Xenharmonikon moves from an informal print journal to a single-blind peer-reviewed publication. Why single-blind as opposed to double-blind? Many individuals working in the field of microtonality have unique practices that would be difficult to discuss without being identified in some way. Contributors may still request to submit their work anonymously for the peer review process, but this will not be a requirement. Unlike some peer-reviewed publications, we will not be charging a fee to publish articles. We hope to be able to rely on donations to cover our costs.
While retaining the idea of volumes, these will be identified by tags along with keywords, which over time will be more useful in accessing articles on related subjects. Articles will be published online when the review process is complete. This prevents work being delayed due to the status of others. We also plan to take advantage of the online format by expanding Xenharmonikon to announce and cover microtonal activity around the world, especially the many festivals focusing on tuning as well as the latest developments in software and technology. Some of these will be dealt with in more detailed reviews.
It should remain clear that Xenharmonikon does not represent any single approach to the subject of microtonality or intonational practices and plans to be proactive in representing the field.
We do begin our first issue with a tribute to one of the important contributors to the original Xenharmonikon, Erv Wilson, who passed away while we were planning the relaunch of the journal. For the second issue, we are calling for articles relating to Heinz Bohlen who also passed away not long ago. For future issues, we plan to focus on the Helmholtz-Ellis notation and the school of composers who use it. Contributions beyond these specific themes are also encouraged and we welcome suggestions for other topics.
Lastly, thanks to John Chalmers, the former editor of Xenharmonikon, for making the transition possible through his support and suggestions. Also, giant thanks to Lucija Kordic who designed the website over many weeks and months and envisioned its possibilities, and to my fellow editor Terumi Narushima who provided invaluable feedback and criticism.
We now welcome the community to make Xenharmonikon their own. Comments and suggestions can be sent to xenharmonikon@gmail.com.
Kraig Grady