---------------------- multipart/mixed attachment In a message dated 6/27/00 2:06:00 PM Central Daylight Time, hoffsoco@martin.luther.edu (Conrad Hoffsommer) writes: << David, >Although I will grant to you that most music from the common practice can >sound fine performed on instruments tuned in HTs, John Cage's composition 4' >33" must be performed in equal temperament. Historical temperaments do not >lend themselves to the subtle nuances of modulation this piece demands. This >is a 20th century piece it should only be performed in a 20th century >temperament! Au contraire, my friend. I have been preparing that piece and experimenting with different temperaments. For a while I thought that Jorgensen's "Five and Seven" was the only one which could do it justice... BUT ... I now find that the Pythagorean with it's pure fifths is the best to evoke the tranquility which is the emotion best expressed by the composition. Perfect fifths for the piano and the pianist give the music a certain je ne sais quoi. >> Well, I sure am glad to see this kind of interest, for a change. David actually makes my strongest point for me. I don't mean this to be a put down or inflammatory writing, just the way I view it. David is talking about a very obscure, rarely heard kind of music that frankly, appeals to a very few. This does not mean it is of lesser value than any other kind of music, it simply has a very low amount of public recognition and demand. I can sympathize. I like Cajun music and opera, two forms which many people really hate. But David's fervent interest in this music could seem to suggest that a temperament that is specific for only one, odd sounding, non-melodic, without tonal center and cadence type of music which appeals to only a very few must prevail above all others, just so that one kind of music will not be harmed. And there goes Conrad, messing around with it using HT's that are atypical. Congratulations, Conrad! I know the way I view these kinds of things is quite different from most other people's. But to me, ET goes much further than it has to in being a temperament that will play all of the music in common practice [as David put it]. It has often been noted that tunings which were somehow imperfect with respect to what has been idealized by the PTG RPT Tuning Exam, whether by error, by being done quickly or because or natural deterioration, have somehow a warmer, more interesting sound than the perfect but "cold" one. Not everyone will agree to that, however. I consider Virgil Smith RPT's tunings to be the epitome of well done ET. He makes the piano sound truly very fine indeed. He sets the highest standard of common practice. But as most of this List would know, I have tuned the piano the way I do against him a couple of times. It does seem that the majority of listeners liked what I did in both cases. But this starts to tread on this forbidden issue of weather one was "better" than the other. Virgil surprised and impressed me by doing a second tuning that I had always considered to be impossible because it went contrary to every established principal regarding compensation for Inharmonicity I had ever heard and believed in. So, there ended up being three differently tuned pianos, each with its own special appeal, none better nor worse than the other, just different and having differing amounts of appeal depending on what kind of music was being played. While I don't think I would be interested in hearing Cage's music in ET, I would in whatever Conrad decides gives the music an especially interesting character. I don't think that could be considered any worse than playing Bach in ET. Regards, Bill Bremmer RPT Madison, Wisconsin ---------------------- multipart/mixed attachment An embedded message was scrubbed... From: GPRogers1@aol.com Subject: Fwd: George Gershwin's Music Date: Tue, 27 Jun 2000 15:06:00 EDT Size: 2957 Url: https://www.moypiano.com/ptg/pianotech.php/attachments/d5/db/b7/25/attachment.eml ---------------------- multipart/mixed attachment--
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