[CAUT] Re: A 440 again

[Ed Sutton]

I have 2 old tuning forks of identical manufacture, in identical cases. One
says: "A 435 Piano Manufacturers' Association N. Y. International Pitch." 
The other says: "A 454 Concert."
Imagine dealing with that.  Did one piano have to serve both pitch
standards? 
Too bad the CAUT archives don't go back to 1875!  At least orchestras
didn't travel as much then.
Ed Sutton


> [Original Message]
> From: James Ellis <claviers@nxs.net>
> To: <caut@ptg.org>
> Date: 4/21/2005 9:02:55 AM
> Subject: [CAUT] Re:  A 440 again
>
> 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
>
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