Subject: Thomas Young mass setting by Mark D. Blackwell
TYC Administrator
Thomas Young Centre
The London Centre For Theory And Simulation Of Materials
Dear madam:
Since your website:
http://www.thomasyoungcentre.org/about-tyc/contacts/
indicates you as the first point of contact, I write to announce with pleasure that I have composed a mass setting in honor of your own Thomas Young, the famous polymath.
This entire mass setting was inspired by Thomas Young's list of major thirds in his own Young Temperament (a well-temperament for keyboards). He arranged these thirds in order of increasing size (thus increasing distance from purity). In his design, this order matches the key signatures with increasing numbers of sharps and flats. His temperament (I assume you know) is described here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Young_temperament&oldid=505261244
To be more explicit, the chord roots in this mass setting exactly follow Thomas Young's ordered sequence (or otherwise relate to it): C, G, F, D, Bb, A, Eb, E, Ab, B, Db, Gb.
You might find it amusing to inform your membership of this connection to your namesake, perhaps in a note in a publication. At least, I hope so!
The "Thomas Young" mass setting can be heard here (click the icons which depict two notes on a staff):
http://www.bakerartistawards.org/nominations/view/MarkDBlackwell/#project_10581_detail
Copyright (c) 2013 Mark D. Blackwell.