Klarinet Archive - Posting 000378.txt from 1998/09

From: Keith P Koons <kkoons@-----.edu>
Subj: [kl] pitch standard
Date: Sun, 13 Sep 1998 14:16:35 -0400

Dear List,

I was surprised to read the following discussion of pitch in the '98 flute
catalog of J. L. Smith & Co., of Charlotte, NC:

"Pitch is the frequency at which the instrument is designed to play its
best (in tune). The old standard at which flutes were built is A=440, that
is 440 cycles per second. Today's standard is A@-----. I think you will
find that an A=442 flute will play well between A=440 and A=444 without
noticing any great difference in intonation patterns."

"European orchestras often tune sharper than their American counterparts
and therefore the A@-----. Americans are
tuning a little sharper than previously and some orchestras do tune at
A@-----. As a result, we
feature flutes built at A442. We occasionally have new A=440 instruments
and of course many used instruments we have will have been built when
A@-----."

Especially interesting to me is his reference to the A=440 standard in the
past tense.

Best regards,
Keith Koons, Associate Professor of Music
University of Central Florida
P.O. Box 161354, Orlando, FL 32816-1354
Office (407) 823-5116 Fax (407) 823-3378
http://pegasus.cc.ucf.edu/~ucfmusic

International Clarinet Association:
Chair, Research Presentation Committee
Project Director, Clarinet Anthology
http://www.clarinet.org

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