[CAUT] Re: A 440 again

[James Ellis]

This problem of a standard pitch was with us in centuries past, and that's
why the "International" A=440 Hz standard was adopted.  But as we all can
see, it didn't work.  I'm convinced the problem will contunue to be with us
as long as there are orchestras and musicians.  That's their way of being
better than someone else - in the imagination, that is.

During the past 10 years, I have only had to tune to A=442 Hz twice.  The
first time for a European chamber group (name forgotten), and the second
time for the National Symphony when they came to town.  That chamber group
wrote back to the ORCMA manager and told him that piano was the best tuned
of any they had on their US tour, and I got a copy of their memo thanking
me for doing it.  Actually, the piano was not at the requested A = 442.  It
was more like 441.5 when I got finished - I measured it - but the piano was
stable and in very good tune.  Yes, ORCMA did pay for an extra tuning.  It
was a rented piano, and I don't know what happened after that - probably
nothing.

I heard that chamber concert - we have season tickets - but I didn't enjoy
it.  Everything they played was out there in an out-of-ecliptic-plane orbit
of its own somewhere between Neptune and Pluto.  My wife was furoius that
she wasted the time to listen to it.

Anyway, I'm convinced we can't change human nature, and that's what we are
dealing with here.

Sincerely, Jim Ellis