Xenharmonikon

Xenharmonikon or Xenharmonikôn was a print publication about xenharmonic music which ran from 1974 to 1998.

The name also refers to a modern continuation: a peer-reviewed online journal which has been running since 2018 and follows in the spirit of the original.

The name is a combination of Ptolemy's music theory work, Harmonikôn en Biblia Treia, and the term "xenharmonic", coined by Ivor Darreg.

1974-98 print publication

Xenharmonikon was founded by John Chalmers to allow theorists, composers, instrument makers, software devs and event organizers interested in non-12edo tunings to publicise their work, regardless of where in the world they were from or what level of formal education they had if any.

17 editions were published in total. Editions 1-8 and 13-17 were edited by John Chalmers. Editions 9-12 were edited by Daniel Wolf.

The publication was distributed by Frog Peak Music, a Lebanon-based composers’ collective.

The publication's website is archived at: xh.xentonic.org.

Old issues of the publication remain available for purchase at frogpeak.org/fpartists/fpchalmers.html.

2018-present web publication

The modern Xenharmonikon shares the same aims as the original. It continues to accept submissions from authors located anywhere in the world, regardless of their level of formal education. John Chalmers remains involved in the project. Rather than a print publication, it is now an online e-publication.

The current editorial board of Xenharmonikon (as of Dec 2024) consists of:

• Bill Alves (USA)
• Donald Bousted (UK)
• John Chalmers (USA)
• Kraig Grady, Editor (Australia)
• Lucija Kordić, Web Designer (USA/Croatia)
• Terumi Narushima, Editor (Australia)
• Juhani Nuorvala (Finland)
• Gabriel Pareyon (Mexico)
• Margo Schulter (USA)

The web publication is available at: xenharmonikon.org.