 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: crnichols
Date: 2006-11-19 18:50
This is fascinating, it explains some of the inconsistencies on my old records.
Christopher Nichols, D.M.A.
Assistant Professor of Clarinet
University of Delaware
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Author: tictactux ★2017
Date: 2006-11-19 19:11
Could or should this bother people with no absolute pitch hearing?
It's a serious question - I've read an abstract whether EbMaj or EMaj would be the proper pitch for a piece, and I just wondered what difference half a note would make (except from the notation on the sheet and the fingering challenge for the player, of course). ???
--
Ben
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Author: EuGeneSee
Date: 2006-11-19 19:21
A really interesting article, Mark. I have read about all the variations in pitch that the musical world went through over the years before settling on the pitch(es) in current use. As the article points out, the standardization of pitch worked fine for live performance but the variations in recording and playback equipment created a new set of problems. Although not a perfect solution, I use a variable speed turntable to correct where both pitch and tempo vary due to recording vs playback speed differences and I use digital pitch changing equipment where non-standard pitch or tempo problems must be corrected independently.
Then, another problem creeps in which causes the older recordings to sound all wrong on modern equipment. Here I am referring to the later day RIAA equalization used to lower the bass dynamic level to allow record tracks to be closer together without the recording cutter to cutting into adjacent grooves and to raise the dynamic level of trebles to bring them well above the noise level of the recording process and medium. All is fine and dandy on recordings ,say from the 1940's onward as RIAA was pretty much the standard, but older recordings which were made without such equalization modification can really sound lousy on modern equipment that automatically reverses RIAA modifications that never were made to the original recording. You end up with booming base and lost treble.
Add the equalization monster to the differences in pitch and tempo and many of those good old recordings really sound strange indeed.
I have some charts that show the various tempo, pitch, and equalization corrections that need to be applied to various record companies' discs to attempt to return the music to the way it actually sounded live. But, as the article noted, even within any one record company there were many fluctuations in the accuracy of the recording process from one recoding to another.
Eu
Correction: Actually the recording industry didn't settle on the RIAA standard until the mid 1950's not the 1940's as I stated above. Eu
Post Edited (2006-11-19 20:22)
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Author: Ken Shaw ★2017
Date: 2006-11-19 21:44
Geoffrey Burgess taught at the Oberlin Baroque Performance Institute last summer. He's an excellent player and scholar. The material comes from a great collection of oboe recordings, The Oboe 1903-53, http://www.oboeclassics.com/Burgess.htm, which has extensive commentary on the evolution of playing styles.
For lots, lots more, see History of Performing Pitch: The Story of "A" by Bruce Haynes, http://www.amazon.com/History-Performing-Pitch-Bruce-Haynes/dp/0810841851/sr=8-1/qid=1163974977/ref=sr_1_1/102-4813510-1373743?ie=UTF8&s=books
For fascinating material on changes in performance style as documented by early recordings, see two books by Robert Philip, Early Recordings and Musical Style: Changing Tastes in Instrumental Performance, 1900-1950, http://www.amazon.com/Early-Recordings-Musical-Style-Instrumental/dp/0521235286/sr=1-2/qid=1163975083/ref=sr_1_2/102-4813510-1373743?ie=UTF8&s=books and Performing Music in the Age of Recording by Robert Philip, http://www.amazon.com/Performing-Music-Recording-Robert-Philip/dp/0300102461/sr=1-1/qid=1163975100/ref=sr_1_1/102-4813510-1373743?ie=UTF8&s=books
The evolution of clarinet playing is documented on three CDs that should be in every clarinetist's collection:
The Acoustic Era, Clarinet Recordings, Volume 1, http://www.northpacificmusic.com/AcousticEra.html. "Volume 1" seems to promise a Volume 2, but it has never appeared. I emailed the prof who compiled it about a second CD, but he didn't answer.
Also Clarinet: Historical Recordings, Vol. 1 and 2 from Clarinet Classics,
http://www.clarinetclassics.com/shop/index.php?act=viewProd&productId=33
http://www.clarinetclassics.com/shop/index.php?act=viewProd&productId=35
For several more, see http://www.clarinetclassics.com/shop/index.php?act=viewCat&catId=4
Ken Shaw
Post Edited (2006-11-19 21:47)
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Author: diz
Date: 2006-11-20 20:01
When the Vienna Philharmonic performed in Sydney I noticed they tuned from the Concertmaster, not the principal oboe. Which is the only time I've seen this (except, obviously, where the score has no oboes included).
Without music, the world would be grey, very grey.
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Author: Dick
Date: 2006-11-21 18:59
Great article. How did they measure frequency back in the old days? A slightly unrelated question: why was it established that the basic (all natural) scale begins on a note called "C" instead of "A"? Thanks for any insights.
Dick
Dick
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Author: EuGeneSee
Date: 2006-11-21 19:24
One way to tune to a measured frequency was to use a tuning fork, thump it, hold it by the handle in one's teeth, then tune to the tone of the fork. By holding it in one's teeth the person heard the note very clearly through the jaws & skull, and both hands were free to do the needed tuning adjustments. This method is still used by many piano tuners.
Of course this begs the question of what and where was the standard that was the basis used to manufacture tuning forks that would produce an accurate, uniform, tone.
Eu
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Author: diz
Date: 2006-11-22 00:28
Yikes ... my old fillings with jolt and rattle.
Without music, the world would be grey, very grey.
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