Temperament, A pianist responds

[Richard Moody]

----- Original Message -----
From: David Love <davidlovepianos@earthlink.net>
To: <pianotech@ptg.org>
Sent: Sunday, December 09, 2001 6:47 PM
Subject: Re: Temperament, A pianist responds


.  We will never really know if Beethoven chose certain keys
| because of the temperaments of his day.  He didn't write about it, at
least
| to my knowledge.

This is the problem with justifying "historical temperaments" for certain
music, or key signatures of certain periods.  The most striking example is
Bach's WTC.  You would think he would have made some reference to what
temperament he had in mind. This must be checked out by musicologists or
music historians.  It is possible references to temperament in modern
editions have been omited since tuning was no longer done by the players
since about 1830.  I am illiterate in German plus not rich enough to travel
to Europe to peruse the sources.  But with the internet any part of the
world is a mouse click away.  Perhaps there is a German speaking person on
this list that can shed light on this.   I have heard about the Bach "Jahr
Buch" -(garbled ?) - can anyone shed light on this?

|He {Beethoven} does, however, cite the characteristics of different
| keys.

I would like to read this.


| I have talked
| with many artists (pianists and non pianists) with perfect pitch and many
| report that certain keys have certain characters.  They, to my knowledge,
| are not responding to WT's.

There is a very interesting discussion in "Sensation of Tone" (Helmholtz)
by the Engish translator (Ellis).  He cites various composers commenting on
the character of the keys, and even quotes a conversation saying that pitch
of tuning  as much as half a step does not alter this.  This pertained to
orchesterial music mostly.  There may be a perception of "key color" just
as there is "perfect pitch".  Some have it, others (perhaps the majority)
do not.   I do not in either case but that does not mean I dismiss the
claim of "perfect pitch" and am open minded as far as "key color" or
"character or the keys".  Since the discussions of "key color" I have seen
in historical records are about orchestrial music, I feel it may perhaps
transend either any or all tempering of the keyboard.


|  I think that to take a piece such as Opus 90, {Beethoven}
| and after the fact make an argument about how WT works and use that as a
| basis for arguing that that was the motivation for choosing the key is
not
| in keeping with the scientific method.

 I would like to add that there is --at least in the academic
community---an awareness and adherence to the "historic method".  This  is
like the scientic method in that "facts" (as in historical facts) are
verified through research. In historical inquiry, conclusions are based on
facts.  What research reveals is "evidence".  This evidence supports
statements of fact and conclusions based on these facts.  All facts and
futhermore, conclusions, hypothesis, generalizations, etc etc must
withstand independent research just as in the scientific method;
experiments must confirm previous experiments.

Now regarding the discussions on temperament there are statements about WT
being good for key color.   But when when we examine these statements in
the light of the scinetific method or historic method there are a few
things lacking.  First we do not know what WT is in the modern sense  let
alone in the historical sense, and as far as "key color" that has been
defined far less most astrological traits.

Since the discussion seems to be an amassing of first hand anectdotal
evidence, I suppose I should contribute my experience with a pianist and
composer who asked that I tune in ET.  This was after a discussion of
historic tunings and alternate tunings and he specifically said "none of
those please".   To be truthful I must admit he played on a piano I had
just tuned in quarter comma meantone. You should have seen the look on his
face when he got to Eb......  Now before the "break away from the status
quo" crowd starts to crow, I am sure K_____ would be glad to compose a
piano piece for any given temperament, only you gotta do it, I would be
glad to introduce.   ---ric notacount.