Larry writes:
<< Do modern composers chose to compose in ET, or if
they want to compose in one of the HTs do they specify which one? >>
Greetings,
As yet, it appears that composers of today are unaware of anything
besides what they have been brought up in. Lamonte Young did produce "The
Well Tuned Piano", but that is a very rare exception. The harmonic tangents
represented by others, (Ives, Partch, etc.) have been admirable, but little
noticed.
This will change, as tonality never really went away. The return to
tonally centered tuning schemes is happening, now, and I happily assume that
the music of the 21st century will occur in a variety of tunings. Hope so,
since no one tuning does everything well.
Regards,
Ed Foote RPT
P.S. today, the homeowner with the Steinway D in his living room asked me to
go farther back than the Victorian he had grown used to. I tuned his piano
in a Young, explaining that there were even heavier gradations available, but
the balance on the Young was regarded as perfect. As soon as he played it,
he said, "I love this, can you come back tomorrow and go even farther back?!!!
I told him to explore the one he had until the weather changed, then we
go meet Mr. Kirnberger.
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