Klarinet Archive - Posting 000557.txt from 1999/03

From: "Steven J Goldman, MD" <sjgoldman@-----.com>
Subj: RE: [kl] Pitch over the years
Date: Wed, 10 Mar 1999 01:44:44 -0500

It depends on the condition of the woodwind. But it is even more complex
than that. First, the precise dating of woodwinds before makers stared
keeping serial numbers (and assuming the list is still in existence)is
tenuous at best. One particularly well known flute by G.A. Rottenburgh of
Brussels has been dated anywhere from 1735 to 1770! So giving a particular
year for a particular pitch in a particular place by using woodwinds is
fraught with danger. To add to the problem, many of the woodwinds were
altered to change their pitch to keep them playable as standards changed. In
many cases it takes an expert to be able to determine this if the craftsman
who altered the instrument was good.

Now, things are a bit easier for organs. Their dates of manufacture are much
better documented, as are the dates that they were altered (if the were
altered). Still not perfect, but on much more solid ground.

By the way, they most certainly did have the technology to determine the
frequency of a pitch back then, but I do not remember how they did it. If I
recall, the first time that using a specific frequency for a "standard
pitch" was proposed was in the early 1700's, and was something around A
425ish.

Steve
Glenview, IL

sjgoldman@-----.com

-----Original Message-----
From: Karl Krelove [mailto:kkrelove@-----.com]
Subject: Re: [kl] Pitch over the years

I've wondered about this, too. Can the dimensions of wooden instruments be
relied on to have remained stable over a hundred or two hundred years? And
I've played in some churches with pipe organs that were built during the
first part of _this_ century that were hopelessly below A440.

Karl Krelove

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