Review of Book "Temperament: The Idea That Solved Music's Greates Riddle

SidewaysWell1713@aol.com SidewaysWell1713@aol.com
Tue, 24 Sep 2002 14:47:56 EDT


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In a message dated 9/24/02 9:53:44 AM Central Daylight Time, 
dkvander@joplin.com writes:


> Today equal temperament is so logical and practical that musicians take it 
> for granted.  Isacoff shows that this acceptance was plagued by 
> controversy, including the many theorists who believed the proportions of 
> Pythagorian relationships proved these tunings were natural and the will of 
> God.  Later theorists offered evidence that proved the contrary, and equal 
> temperament was finally accepted as the only natural tuning.
> 
> 

I have the book, read it and while it is interesting, to me, it gives 
evidence that there really is a "Conspiracy of ET".  It jumps to conclusions 
on many accounts in order to support the above statement.  It offers the 
shocking phrase, "The Final Solution" which sends chills up my spine.

It conveniently ignores all of the other kinds of temperament solutions which 
occurred in the 18th and 19th Centuries to support its patently incorrect 
premise that *all* tuning today consists of a scale where "each note is 
*unequivocally* equidistant from the other".  We all know this is not true, 
even those among us who only tune in ET.

It is a nice book, yes, nicely designed and bound and is interesting reading 
but it mixes facts with pure fiction in an effort to deceive the reader into 
believing in the one and only one way to tune concept.  It seems that all the 
general readership reviews swallowed the ruse hook line and sinker but the 
book has received many critical reviews from people who were able to read 
between the lines and who knew that there were many omissions being made and 
conclusions being drawn to support its premise.

I think it belongs on the shelf next to Darwin, Freud, Helmholtz and Mary 
Shelly's "Frankenstein".  It is Science Fiction.
 
Bill Bremmer RPT
Madison, Wisconsin
<A HREF="http://www.billbremmer.com/">Click here: -=w w w . b i l l b r e m m e r . c o m =-</A> 




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