Phil writes: << A Mozart concerto played by Seth Carlin on a Walter fortepiano with the Philharmonia Baroque in Herbst Theater is a completely different thing than the same concerto played on a Steinway D by Andre Watts with the New York Philharmonic at Lincoln Center. >> It may be of some interest that when Seth Carlin recorded a Schubert project two years ago, he had me come to St. Louis and keep the forte piano tuned in a Young temperament. He thought it was important. >>The differences made by instruments, performers, orchestral size, and venue are so large as to render any differences in choice of temperament incidental or trivial, in my view.<< hmm, then why are we so caught up in all the test, checks, etc. to make ET as perfectly ET as possible when we do tune it? The difference between the finest ET possible and one that barely fails the Guild test for ET is far less than the difference between either of them and a Broadwood. If temperament is of so little importance, there is no point in having such stringent,(=/- 1 cent?) tests. To those that have come to rely on the resources in a WT, the lack of key color in ET is profound. I think a well-rounded tech should be familiar with the various ways of tempering and conversant in regards to their use. If someone wants to make the case that ET is superior to any other, for all music, that is their business. Just don't be surprised when a musician choses something else when given the chance to hear a comparison. I have, for 10 years, been seeing roomfuls of techs, and musicians, prefer a WT piano over an ET one. There are exceptions, of course, but in blind comparisons, the majority of techs go for the WT. When it is musicians, the overwhelming majority prefer the WT. Does it make sense for technicians to continue trying to champion a tuning that is so often rejected as the only one that is needed? Regards, Ed Foote RPT http://www.uk-piano.org/edfoote/index.html www.uk-piano.org/edfoote/well_tempered_piano.html
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