Klarinet Archive - Posting 000448.txt from 1998/08

From: Bill Hausmann <bhausman@-----.com>
Subj: Re: [kl] R-13 Prestige vs R-13
Date: Sun, 16 Aug 1998 10:11:25 -0400

At 02:24 AM 8/16/98 -0500, Neil Leupold wrote:
>On Sun, 16 Aug 1998, Bill Hausmann wrote:
>
>> Can anybody tell me why, after years of wonderful stability in pitch
>> standard at A=440, won at great cost over a long time, some bozos decided
>> to start tinkering with it again? Are instrument manufacturers so
>> desperate to sell new horns that they are promoting the obsolescence of the
>> old ones by causing them to be out of tune? Or is something else afoot?
>
>The manufacturers aren't likely to be the culprits in the change
>of pitch. The orchestras themselves are precipitating the change.
>One factor is relativism. Conductors recognize that an audience
>will respond subconsciously if the orchestra's pitch is higher
>than the standard to which they (the audience members) are accust-
>omed. Thus, they (the Berlin Phil. under Karajan, for example) play
>intentionally sharp, thus giving them a seemingly more brilliant sound.
>Since the whole orchestra is sharp, nobody notices it as such, but
>there is a difference in overall perception. Haven't many, if not
>most European orchestras, played above 440 for quite some time now
>anyway?
>
I'm sorry, but I just cannot see how it could make THAT much difference,
enough to screw up the whole works anyway. And once everybody matches
their pitch, won't they have to raise it AGAIN? And isn't that how we got
into trouble in the first place? Sounds STUPID to me, not "brilliant." I
know a few 1940's big bands arranged their pieces in higher keys in order
to achieve this same effect, but there the difference was more apparent.
Unfortunately, it was murder on the improvising soloists! Maybe if they
would provide pitch controls on CD players (I have an old turntable with
one) people could listen to orchestras at any pitch they want! Problem solved!

Bill Hausmann bhausman@-----.com
451 Old Orchard Drive http://www.concentric.net/~bhausman
Essexville, MI 48732 http://members.wbs.net/homepages/z/o/o/zoot14.html
ICQ UIN 4862265

If you have to mic a saxophone, the rest of the band is too loud.

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