Symphony of Sirens music module

5. Experimental tonalities

Scriabin disciple Ivan Vyshnegradskii [Wyschnegradsky] (1893-1979), who emigrated to France in 1920, began composing microtonal works around the same time as Alois Hába in the 1910s. Consider the fifth of his 24 Preludes in Quarter-tones (1934), which features two pianos specially tuned a quarter tone apart. Dare I suggest you will find it slightly mind-altering?

For the curious, consider Hába (1893-1973) in Prague, who represents a more obscure but highly instructive case, because he took seriously the "exhaustion" of Mahlerian Viennese tonality, and pursued highly chromatic alternatives. If the distant between each key on the piano represents a half tone, Hába experimented with other microtones, especially quarter tones. Listen to the overture to scene 6 of his quarter-tone opera Mother (1929): 

  

Remember that it is not "out of tune," but quite intentionally expects the listener to embrace a broader set of tonal relationships. Without making a face, how would you explain in precise language why such music could probably never become popular?