Klarinet Archive - Posting 000296.txt from 2000/08
From: "Tony Wakefield" <tony-wakefield@-----.net>
Subj: Re: [kl] My memory /Tony Pay`s Weber
Date: Sun, 13 Aug 2000 06:48:00 -0400
Mark,
The U.K. piano page I`m afraid was not much help. It covers the tempered
scale in a fair amount of depth.
It also lists the pitches of several famous instruments, i.e. Westminster
Cathedral organ. It also lists the pitches of Societies, i.e. the Paris
Conservatoire, which strangely, (see para following) in 1812 was 440c.p.s.
(440Hz).
Thru`out history, both in the Ancient World and in "modern" Western music,
it seems that pitch has changed quite randomly. Probably, to be more
accurate, it hasn`t >changed quite so much as been "set" at an
approximation,or generalised level. (Why didn`t the travelling
musicians`/musical directors` with perfect pitch >sort this "problem").
The U.K. page does not explain >why these changes occur. It seems to put a
higher priority on the tempered scale, and >it`s changes.
The tempered scale changes in Western music have of course, far greater
affect on all our music than changes in pitch. Instruments tuned to
different tempers cannot of course play >together, according to how >our
ears have been trained. So therefore it is understandable why the tempered
scale has been fixed for a longer period than pitch. Apart from the Paris
Conservatoire`s A = 440 in 1812, it was not until 1939 that an International
conference fixed pitch at 440, albeit that the U.S. music industry adopted
440 in 1925, (the American Standards Ass. in 1936).
All in all, it seems that pitch, - the level of sound, (raising and lowering
of the pitch), once the tempered scale has been decided and set, has been
nothing more than a bit of a nuisance. Thru`out history it has been raised
or lowered according to whims and fancies; or accidentally.
I do not know what the general pitch of 7 keyed clarinets was, (or is, in
reproductions) (I havn`t been an enthusiastic fan of "authentic" music). But
from 1762, if string instr.(?) in Hamburg were 405, and variations (in all
instru.) ranging from 415, 421.3, Stein`s tuning fork 422.6, The Paris Grand
Opera, 427 in 1811!!!!, thru` to the Vienna Opera, 447 in 1878, it`s not
surprising that Baermann`s pitch should indeed be different again.
Perhaps it was elite (or at least exclusive) to have one`s >own pitch. (were
they patented? ha,ha). Even if >some ears had perfect pitch, I cannot
believe that the level of intelligence in
musical spheres during the 19th century could have been so distorted as to
believe that the vast number of different pitches was scientifically
engineered deliberately to
facilitate better >musical performance. Perhaps even those perfect ears
couldn`t have been too concerned to bring the various different pitches
closer, due to (what I`m told) similar conditions which prevail today,
certainly in the U.K. (Tony ?) where musical directors/conductors were
simply told to "get on" with the rehearsal/concert, due to not enough
time/money to consider aesthetics. I`m told this is the reason why
Andre Previn left the L.S.O. But that`s another story.
Again, for those who wish to look at the U.K. Piano Page, the URL is
http://www.uk-piano.org/history/pitch.html
Thanks Mark.
Tony W.
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: Mark Charette <charette@-----.org>
> To: <klarinet@-----.org>
> Sent: 12 August 2000 17:48
> Subject: Re: [kl] My memory /Tony Pay`s Weber
>
>
> > Tony W. wrote:
> > > "trend". Was the pitch of the >19th century lower than today`s pitch?
> What
> > > was it? Was it 430? When did 430
> > > end, and what took it`s place? Were there any different "trends"
before
> > 430?
> > > Is 430 a kind of guess as to what pitch Baerman was playing at?
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