Klarinet Archive - Posting 000174.txt from 1998/09

From: Bill Hausmann <bhausman@-----.com>
Subj: Re: [kl] Short barrels
Date: Sat, 5 Sep 1998 23:06:10 -0400

At 06:57 PM 9/5/98 -0500, Roger Garrett wrote:
>While I can appreciate Bill's postion regarding his discomfort with the
>European pitch center, his reasoning that it was an arbitrary decision and
>that there is a trend used by manufacturers is unfounded. The orchestras
>I described in my last post have used the same pitch, we believe, for over
>two hundred years. That does not represent a trend, nor does it represent
>an arbitrary decision. In fact, the European musical community could very
>well call the American A440 an "arbitrary decision" and label it an
>American "trend."
>
>There is no evidence that they feel it makes their group sound brighter.
>If there is, cite a reference to that effect....otherwise, it seems more
>like folklore and gossip!
>
Wasn't the A=440 standard set by an INTERNATIONAL organization? And if
orchestras DO NOT use a higher pitch to sound brighter (or at least
different), why on earth WOULD they?

Numerous instruments are now being pitched at A=442 instead of the former
A@-----. For example, if you buy orchestral bells from either Yamaha
(Deagan) or Ludwig/Musser, they will now be pitched at 442 unless specified
otherwise. And the new Selmer 103 clarinet has just replaced the 100. One
of the biggest changes is to raise it to A@-----. It sure looks like pitch
creep to me! I'm sure if I did a search, I would find references about the
"brighter" sound resulting from higher pitch right here in the list archives.

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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