[CAUT] International standard?

[Jeff Olson]

 POWER TO THE TUNER!   RIGHT ON!

 David I.

Reminds me of the now (happily)-defunct Piano Technicians Party slogan: 
"Remember -- power springs from the shaft of a hammer, so give it to 'em!"

JeffO
>
>
>
> ----- 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
>>>
>>>
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