temperaments

[Richard Moody]

> -----Original Message-----
> From: pianotech-bounces@ptg.org 
> [mailto:pianotech-bounces@ptg.org] On Behalf Of Ron Koval
> Sent: Saturday, April 10, 2004 5:30 PM
> To: pianotech@ptg.org
> Subject: temperaments
> 
> 
> Thanks for continuing the discussion, ric M.  I think I see 
> where this is 
> going again, so let me answer this:
> 
> You asked what methods, I have the words of James Broadwood 
> himself how to tune ET in 1811. <snip>
> 
> I'm going to start over.  Forget anyone saying anything about 
> any historical 
> temperaments.
> 
> 
> A growing body of technicians have been discovering the joys 
> and musicality 
> of tuning an earlier version of equal temperament.  This 
> temperament, known 
> as Broadwood's best, 

That is all well and good.  But you assume your "Broadwood Best" (and
please give the source and offsets) was how the best tuners from
Broadwood tuned each piano every day, day after day.  (and from what
era?) The most original source (I have found)for"Broadwood's Best" is
from  Ellis's appendices in his translation of Helmholtz, "The Sensation
of Tone"  3rd ed. There it shows three different readings. (p 485) See
how these offsets from 1870 agree or disagree with the offsets that are
supplied with the $1700 tuning machines of today. 
	The joys and musicality of various early attempts at ET I do
agree should be checked out. But these are best heard by aural tunings
following the original instructions.  Et was tuned or attempted to be
tuned ever since tuners realized they should flatten 5ths slightly so
the circle of 5ths came out to be an octave. This is knowledge of the
Pythagorean comma which is well over 2,000 years old. 
	Regarding this, James Broadwood gave specific instructions in
1811. Montal in 1830 dedicated his book on tuning ET to Pleyel, the
publisher of Chopin and maker of pianos Chopin endorsed. If you are
interested in historical tunings of the 1800's, I think tuning  aurally
by  historical instructions would be considered more authentic than the
suggested offsets for 20th century electronic tuning devices. 

	If you try tuning ET according to Montal I think you will find
it easy to get a temperament that will play in all keys because you do
not have to pay attention to the major 3rds.  It is the "evenness" of
the progression of major thirds that makes ET of today so difficult to
tune.  Before 1900 all that was required for ET was that the circle of
5ths "come out right".  The Montal method of 1830 is so simple.  You
tune a circle of 5ths slightly flat so that the ending octave comes out.
If not then you tune back until the 5th becomes acceptable. It is so
intuitive I am surprised that Harpsichord and organ tuners didn't use it
since day one. 

----ric     www.pnotec.com 

		"Experience is not what happens to you. 
             It is what you do with what happens to you."
              Aldous Huxley (1891-1963); British author.



> 
> it was the development of the modern tuning machines that allows easy 
> experimentation with more responsive tunings.
> 
> Ron Koval
>