Question regarding Well Temp. Tuning

Richard Brekne Richard.Brekne@grieg.uib.no
Mon, 14 Aug 2000 18:17:19 +0200



A440A@AOL.COM wrote:

>  Richard  writes:
>
> << There is simply no doubt that most, if not all western music sounds
> delightfull
> in ET. That it can also sound delightfull in other temperament colourings is
> simply another fact.>>
>
> Greetings,
>      I must disagree.  This statement posits that there is no value
> difference in the use of various temperaments.

Balderdash... it does no such thing.. It simply says what it says.. namely that
ET sounds good, and so do other Temperaments. Nothing about that statement bears
in the slightest on any question relating to differences between them..nor is
there any inherent value judgement in those words... I mean really...sheesh...
grin.

> Based on what I am seeing,
> there are a growing number of pianists that, after being introduced to the
> alternatives, use words other than "delightful" to describe ET .  "Boring"
> "tedious" and "edgy" are three common adjectives I hear.

I have no quarrel with that... ear of the beholder if you will... and thats the
beauty of it all aint it. Really... we should all get beyond this nonsense of
"correctness" or "appropriatness" or whathaveyou. I mean different strokes for
different folks... whatever turns you on... Who are you or who am I do dare to
dictate to anyone whether or not Mozart sound good or does not sound good in any
particular temperament... Sheeeshhh again...

>  >>Those who say otherwise speak only for themselves and refer
> to no universal truth whatsoever. Indeed, such opinion speaks of a complete
> failure to understand the basic nature of art to begin with. <<
>
>     I dunno about "universal" truths, but there is a profound difference
> between the two tuning styles mentioned.

Who said anything to the contrary ?????

> The big difference I am seeing is
> that after listening to their piano in a well tempered tuning,  the
> heretofore equally tempered musician rarely wants to return to ET.

Fine... thats part of the whole point... expand ones horizons... with the key
word being expand... which is a different thing indeed then just jumping around
looking for greener grass as it were...

> After 5
> years of providing these tunings, I have had six customers that wanted to
> return to ET.  My clientele is now about 70 % well tempered, and I don't
> think my understanding of the "art" has been diminished because of it.

Again.. ED.... no-one has said anything about dimishing anything... so dont get
all defensive...

>
>  I would like to hear Richard's defininition on "the basic nature
> of art", since it appears that this is something  he feels is not grasped by
> people who have a preference in temperament.

Ok... To begin with... I have no beef with folks who have a personal
preference.. I do have a beef with those who go around declaring their own
personal preferences to be the only true and correct preferences to have.. and
if anyone doesnt share those preferences then they are somewhat less worth.. or
misinformed or somehow inferior..

As far as defining art is concerned... It is a far more complex thing then could
ever be boxed up in neat little ideas like "correct" or "appropriate".. etc.. It
is a interplay of the artists attempt to express him/herself in some particular
fashion, the pure physical result of this attempt, and the observers sensation
of that result. The experience neccessarilly differs from person to person...
from experience to experience... from creative effort to creative effort. A more
precise definition is really quite absurd and meaningless and indeed is rarely
the point seen from the artists point of view to begin with.

Really Ed... I fail to see the big need to jump into the defensive mode...I
simply state it is meaningless to value one temperament as inherently "better"
then any other for any particular useage... Its perfectly ok to have personal
tastes... and its even ok to observe that often these tastes coincide with many
others personal tastes... But to demean another human because their tastes
differ... sorry.. thats going to far.

And That, my dear Ed is just as much an argument in support of HT's as it is
ET...

grin....


>
> Regards,
> Ed Foote RPT

--
Richard Brekne
RPT, N.P.T.F.
Bergen, Norway




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