Bach, Beethoven & Contemporary Concert in EBVT (very long)

[Billbrpt@AOL.COM]

In a message dated 8/30/99 9:52:06 PM Pacific Daylight Time, 
rsbrown1@FACSTAFF.WISC.EDU (Rozan Brown) writes:

<< Not having been exposed to much besides ET (just Owen Jorgenson's and Ed
 Foote's classes), I don't really have a skilled enough ear to discern the
 defferences between Bill's EBVT and ET in a performance.  I certainly could
 hear some differences in the few minutes I had to sit at the piano myself
 and when Bill demonstrated some intervals and chords for me.  Perhaps if I
 heard the same music on two instruments side-by-side.  Yes, I'll try to get
 to Chicago! >>

Thank you very much Rozan, I had a great day too and it was nice to get to 
know you better.  Perhaps we can organize a Madison Chapter group to drive 
down in that nice minivan of yours.  It will be a very long day but I already 
know I won't be the least bit tired, even when we get back home after 
midnight.  If we left at say, 7:30 or 8 in the morning, we could catch most 
of Virgil's tuning, have lunch, I'll do mine, we'll have dinner then it will 
be time for the evening program which will be hard to cut off by 10 PM.  It 
would be at least 1 AM by the time we got home.  My first appointment is 
scheduled the following day at 11 AM.  I would suggest that you and any 
others schedule a late start that day too.

You may recall that I predicted that you would really not recognize the 
difference between what I did and a typical ET rendering but after all, that 
is the whole idea of this scheme.  I intend for the piano to sound "normal" 
to the "contemporary ear" but for it to take advantage of what I would call 
"Cycle of 5ths precedent and logic".

There was a contributor to the List who was using a Quasi Equal Temperament 
who made the statement, "If you notice the tuning, then I have failed".  To 
some degree, I agree with this but not completely.  I do not want anyone at 
anytime to hear anything that might be considered "sour" or "out of tune".  I 
believe that to a large degree, this scheme fulfills that purpose.

In Providence, a large majority liked it but there were still some who 
clearly preferred ET.  I know and expect that this will always be the case.  
Even as I was preparing the piano in the Exhibits, person after person, 
dozens of people were delighted at its sound but then came along one guy who 
after playing very little said quite candidly, "Hey, this is out of tune!"  
It is inevitable.

On the other side of the coin, it is simply too mild to be interesting to 
those who like a really good classic Well Tempered tuning like a Werkmeister 
or Kirnburger or one of the Meantones.  It really is no more suitable for 
early baroque than ET is.  It is meant to be a "catch all", "one size fits 
all", "universal", etc. scheme just as ET purports to be.  It will probably 
be more appealing than ET to most but not to all.  I will want to hear 
specifically from those who do not like it, what it is that they do not like.

 It will not be "better" than Virgil's ET, it will just be different.  
Hearing the two side by side will be very revealing.  Hearing either one 
alone will generally leave only the impression of a very nicely tuned piano, 
nothing more or less.  Ed Foote's CD and from what I have heard, his class 
had similar results.  To me, the CD revealed very nice clarity, a very much 
"in tune" sound.  There was a little of the "color" that one would expect 
from an HT but to me, not enough for my taste.  My own feeling about the EBVT 
is much the same.  It is not the "best" nor the "ultimate compromise" or 
anything of the sort.  It is merely one kind of option that has its own set 
of advantages and disadvantages as does any other scheme.

There was one person's name I used incorrectly.  I'm sorry, it was very late 
and Mr. Scott who has developed the Tunelab program is named "Robert" or 
"Bob", not "Jim".

I also forgot, as I was getting very drowsy, to add the following line about 
the encore:

<< The short piece returned to the sublime and gently beating key of F where 
its final chord was allowed to sustain until it decayed to the *quietest 
pianissimo*.>>

One reader inquired privately about wanting to be able to tune this scheme.  
I plan to publish a full 88 note program for the Steinway B as soon as 
possible after the session.  I am also hoping that some good and accurate FAC 
type Correction Figures will be available.

Does anyone have Robert Scott's E-mail address?  I have lost it.  If you do, 
please send it privately.

My sincerest regards,

Bill Bremmer RPT
Madison, Wisconsin