Klarinet Archive - Posting 000571.txt from 1995/05

From: Luuk van Buul <vanbuul@-----.NL>
Subj: Key characteristics
Date: Fri, 19 May 1995 12:04:43 -0400

Is concert pitch A also 'active' when playing an A clarinet? Or more when using
Bb? (This 'active' key reminds me of a discussion about 'dark' sounds some time
ago, with Dan Leeson also participating. :) )
And the frequency theory: how about tuning on A=374 Hz as was done in
Paris in 1648 or A=503 Hz in Halberstadt in 1361? During large periods of the
baroque era A@-----. Did people then have different feelings with
different keys? Obviously not, because books from those days state largely the
same associations with different keys as the characteristics mentioned in this
group lately.

My theory is that this 'feeling of keys' is a relic from the days when tuning
systems (especially for organs, harpsichords, virginals etc., which were the
instruments used by composers when composing) were not well designed for playing
in distant keys.

For example: tuning according to Pythagoras really boils down to tuning perfect
fifths. (This is convenient because fifths are easy to judge by listening. There
are more tuning systems, but all show essentially the same problems as this one,
except of course for the well tempered tuning.)
When starting on Eb, next you find the Bb, then F, C, G, D, A, E, B, F#, C#, G#.
All these fifths will be perfect. The next fifth yields D#, but you started on
Eb, so this organ pipe, string or whatever is already in use. All the keys on
your manual are tuned now, by 'copying' the found frequencies in perfect
octaves to the corresponding keys up and down the manual.

When playing in the key of C, this organ or whatever sounds beautyfully in tune
(more than modern well-tempered piano's!). When going to G for example,
everything still works fine. BUT when transposing to Eb problems occur: you have
to use the scale Eb F G G# Bb C D. There is no Ab! The G# is 23.46 cents too
high for use as an Ab ('Pythagorean comma'). There are also no useable keys on
the manual for A#, D#, Db and Gb.

Of course you could tune in fifths down from the starting Eb in order to find
the Pythagorean tuned scale of Eb, but then you loose the G# at the other end.

In short: all tuning systems as used before the ascent of well tempered tuning
leads to increasing problems when using more distant keys. In my opinion this
lead to the notion of 'characteristics' (@-----.
We still think these characteristics are valid because of difficulties reading
and playing music in these keys. Maybe even some tuning problems still exist
because of enharmonisation (spelling?) ie. A# and Bb are played the same way,
while they are not the same in tuning terms.

Luuk van Buul

vanbuul@-----.nl