Klarinet Archive - Posting 000249.txt from 1998/09

From: Bill Hausmann <bhausman@-----.com>
Subj: Re: [kl] Short barrels
Date: Tue, 8 Sep 1998 05:34:50 -0400

At 09:41 PM 9/7/98 -0500, you wrote:
>On Mon, 7 Sep 1998, Bill Hausmann wrote:
>> Better re-read Ed Lacy's post. The gradual upward creep of pitch has been
>> going on for centuries (Handel A@-----. Every now and again, someone
>> attempts to re-standardize the pitch (note all the old instruments stampled
>> "low pitch," meaning made AFTER the return to A=440 that occurred early in
>> this century). Even with that, apparently the standard had to be
>> RE-established in 1953 by international agreement. The trend to rising
>> pitch, as Ed Lacy quoted from John Backus, has no "lasting benefit." He
>> also said, "Any attempt to raise this standard for any short-term gain in
>> 'brightness' or whatever else should be resisted as pernicious and contrary
>> to musicians' best interests." This is all I have been trying to say,
>> although Backus said it more eloquently.
>
>Reread your own post! That's not what you said.....even if it is what you
>were trying to say.
>
OK. I said it was "stupid", and he said it was "pernicious and contrary to
musicians' best interests." Just because some orchestras have been playing
at a non-standard high pitch for a long time does not make it right. When
the European rise becomes well enough established to force American
organizations to adopt it and instrument manufacturers to redesign their
horns to follow it, I would call that a "trend."

>Ed also made a point regarding turntables, recordings, etc.....and drew
>conclusions based on his points. While I can appreciate the information
>regarding brightness....and I am very pleased to see it actually
>documented by SOMEONE, the issue regarding pitch is far from a given.
>
I suspect Ed was merely hoping that there was some logical explanation for
the pitch rise other than prima donna violinists. I guess he was wrong.

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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