Klarinet Archive - Posting 000254.txt from 2004/11

From: Tony Pay <tony.p@-----.org>
Subj: Re: [kl] pitch standard
Date: Sat, 6 Nov 2004 10:40:06 -0500

On 6 Nov, Bill Hausmann <bhausmann1@-----.net> wrote:

> At 12:01 PM 11/6/2004 +0100, ferengiz=E2de dani=EAl shawqy wrote:
>
> > Joe, I trust you are also aware that it was Josph Goebbels who promot=
ed
> > the current standard of 440Hz in Europe and even tried to enforce it =
on
> > the occupied Austrians? Standards are always so-so... my best, danyel=

>=20
> Of course, that does not make the standard WRONG. Like they say, even =
a=20
> stopped clock is right twice a day.

Yes, it's a specious argument. (Compare 'not wanting to clean your teeth=
'
because 'Stalin did'.)

And anyway, much of the opposition there was to A=3D440 came from people =
who
wanted the standard to be *lower*, not higher -- some of the French, for
example -- and certainly almost all singers fell, and still fall, into th=
is
category.

If the Austrians wanted it *higher* than was decided unanimously at the
London meeting in 1939 -- and it's by no means obvious that they did, bec=
ause
my admittedly earlier period Viennese instruments are actually lower -- t=
hen
they were certainly out of step with the rest of Europe and North America=
.

I tried to consult Nick Shackleton about this, but he's away in the US
collecting the Vetlesen Prize:

http://www.isihighlycited.com/isi_copy/Comm_news53.htm

(Bravo Nick:-)

Tony
--=20
_________ Tony Pay =20
|ony:-) 79 Southmoor Rd tony.p@-----.org
| |ay Oxford OX2 6RE http://classicalplus.gmn.com/artist=
s
tel/fax 01865 553339
=20
... There is no gravity--The earth sucks!

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