POWER TO THE TUNER! RIGHT ON! David I. ----- Original message ---------------------------------------- From: Chris Solliday <solliday@ptd.net> To: College and University Technicians <caut@ptg.org> Received: Thu, 28 Apr 2005 10:22:31 -0400 Subject: Re: [CAUT] International standard? >Well, I think it's time we took a stand. 440 is high enough. Enough tension >in the world, etc. IMHO we as tuners have some clout and we ought to use use >it. Chris Solliday >----- Original Message ----- >From: "Fred Sturm" <fssturm@unm.edu> >To: "College and University Technicians" <caut@ptg.org> >Sent: Wednesday, April 27, 2005 6:23 PM >Subject: Re: [CAUT] International standard? >> Another bit of info, FWIW, from the International Organization of >> Standardization (generally uses ISO as its international acronym), >> www.iso.org >> "ISO 16:1975 Specifies the frequency for the note A in the treble stave >and >> shall be 440 Hz. Tuning and retuning shall be effected by instruments >> producing it within an accuracy of 0,5 Hz." >> >> Who is ISO? This is how they describe themselves: >> >> "ISO is a network of the national standards institutes of 150 countries, >on >> the basis of one member per country, with a Central Secretariat in Geneva, >> Switzerland, that coordinates the system. >> >> "ISO is a non-governmental organization: its members are not, as is the >case >> in the United Nations system, delegations of national governments. >> Nevertheless, ISO occupies a special position between the public and >private >> sectors. This is because, on the one hand, many of its member institutes >are >> part of the governmental structure of their countries, or are mandated by >> their government. On the other hand, other members have their roots >uniquely >> in the private sector, having been set up by national partnerships of >> industry associations. >> >> "Therefore, ISO is able to act as a bridging organization in which a >> consensus can be reached on solutions that meet both the requirements of >> business and the broader needs of society, such as the needs of >stakeholder >> groups like consumers and users." >> >> As I understand this, standards set by ISO are commonly adhered to, >but >> have no force of law (well, there are probably exceptions). In the case of >> musical pitch, my own take on the current situation is that practically >> speaking 442 has become the international standard by virtue of the major >> manufacturers of percussion and winds making it their default pitch. They >> have responded, presumably, to international market forces. There is more >> demand for instruments at 442 than at 440. >> It doesn't really matter to me what the standard is, as long as it is >> reliably standard. Unfortunately we live during a period when the standard >> seems to be in flux. Fortunately there is less flux now than during many >> periods in the past. >> Regards, >> Fred Sturm >> University of New Mexico >> >> >> >> On 4/27/05 1:42 PM, "Fred Sturm" <fssturm@unm.edu> wrote: >> >> > I just found this, which confirms the Goebbels connection >> > <http://groups.msn.com/Todakcrew/musicarticles.msnw>: >> > The first effort to institutionalize A=440 in fact was a conference >> > organized by Joseph Goebbels in 1939, who had standardized A=440 as the >> > official German pitch. Professor Robert Dussaut of the National >Conservatory >> > of Paris told the French press that: ``By September 1938, the Accoustic >> > Committee of Radio Berlin requested the British Standard Association to >> > organize a congress in London to adopt internationally the German Radio >> > tuning of 440 periods. This congress did in fact occur in London, a very >> > short time before the war, in May-June 1939. No French composer was >invited. >> > The decision to raise the pitch was thus taken without consulting French >> > musicians, and against their will.'' The Anglo-Nazi agreement, given the >> > outbreak of war, did not last, so that still A=440 did not stick as a >> > standard pitch. >> > >> > A second congress in London of the International Standardizing >Organization >> > met in October 1953, to again attempt to impose A=440 internationally. >This >> > conference passed such a resolution; again no Continental musicians who >> > opposed the rise in pitch were invited, and the resolution was widely >> > ignored. Professor Dussaut of the Paris Conservatory wrote that British >> > instrument makers catering to the U.S. jazz trade, which played at A=440 >and >> > above, had demanded the higher pitch, ``and it is shocking to me that >our >> > orchestra members and singers should thus be dependent upon jazz >players.'' >> > A referendum by Professor Dussaut of 23,000 French musicians voted >> > overwhelmingly for A=432. >> > >> > Regards, >> > Fred Sturm >> > University of New Mexico >> >> >> _______________________________________________ >> caut list info: https://www.moypiano.com/resources/#archives >> >> >_______________________________________________ >caut list info: https://www.moypiano.com/resources/#archives
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