Klarinet Archive - Posting 000386.txt from 1998/09

From: "Jay E. Niepoetter" <niep@-----.com>
Subj: Re: [kl] pitch standard
Date: Sun, 13 Sep 1998 16:33:14 -0400

The National Symphony Orchestra here in Washington tunes at A@-----.
Anybody know first hand of others?

Jay

Mark Charette wrote:
>
> >I was surprised to read the following discussion of pitch in the '98
> flute
> >catalog of J. L. Smith & Co., of Charlotte, NC:
>
> <snip>
>
> >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."
> <snip>
> >Especially interesting to me is his reference to the A=440 standard in
> the
> >past tense.
>
> Obviously they don't realize what a standard or benchmark is. There's a
> few other ways to refer to A@-----.
>
> Of course, a standard is an anachronism by design.
> ----
> Mark Charette@-----.org
> Webmaster, http://www.sneezy.org/clarinet
> "There can be no freedom without discipline." - Nadia Boulanger
> Former member of ANSI X3H3.1, a _real_ standards body.
>
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------

-------------------------------------------------------------------------