Ric, cy, et al, At 15:54 1/6/2004 +0100, you wrote: >Cy Shuster wrote: > > Is there really that much difference in cumulative string tension between > > A435 and A440? (I know, I should do the math...) I'm aware that A435 used > > to be the standard. > >There used to be lots of standards... and Vienna...where this instrument >comes from has a history of dinking around with really high standard >pitchs. At present the Vienna Symphony uses A444. When this piano was >built pitchs around A453 were floating around. I dont know what the >world record for the highest Apitch is ... but Vienna probably would >hold it ! What follows is the result of some research i did on the subject, many years ago. if the columns work out, there are Frequency/identification/approximate year. Interspersed are the pitches of equal temperament@440Hz Praetorious wins on this list... Pitch Standards for A compared with modern European equal temperament scale based on A440. Many of these are from Alexander Ellis' book and were measured or deduced from actual forks, organ pipes or other instruments. Hz Location ==== Temp. Pitch ==== Year 369.994 F# Church Pitch Lowest 370 Ideal Lowest 374 Hospice Comtesse 1700 377 Schlick low 1511 " Bedos de Celles 1766 Church Pitch Low 391 Strasburg Cathedral Silbermann Organ 1714 391.995 G 392 St Petersburg Euler Clavichord 1739 395 Cambridge Trinity College Organ/Father Smith 1759 396 Versailles Organ 1789 DeCaus 1615 Chamber Pitch Low 400 Paris Opera 1700 403 Mersenne Spinet 1648 407 Paris Spinet by Sauveur 1713 408 Matteson, Hamburg 1762 409 Paris Court Clavecins (Pascal Taskin) 1783 414.4 Breslau Clavichord (Marpurg) 1776 European Mean Pitch for two centuries 415 Dresden Silbermann Organ 1722 415.305 G# 420 Freiberg 1714 " Seville 1785 421.6 Mozart's piano (from Stein's fork) 1780 422.5 Haendel's tuning fork 1751 422.6 Lille, France 1754 422.7 Broadwood 1800 423 Westminster Abbey Organ 1820 " Paris Theatre Feydeau 1820 423.2 Dresden, Band of the Opera 181521 423.3 Philharmonic Society 1813 424 Praetorius suitable pitch 1619 424.1 Eutin, Germany 1740 424.2 Paris Italian Opera 1823 425 Paris Italian Opera 1829 425.8 Paris Grand Opera 1824 427.1 Paris Grand Opera 1811 427.6 Paris Theatre Feydeau 1823 428 Renatus Harris Organ 1696 430 Paris (M Lemoine) 1810 431.5 Paris Opera 1828 Compromise Pitch 433 Sir George Smart's tuning fork 1828 Broadwood 1820 433.9 Vienna Opera 1834 Concurrent Scheibler forks: 436.5 \ 439.4 \ 440.3 > 1834 441.1 / 445.1 / 434 Paris Grand Opera 1834 435 French Diapason (tuning fork) Normal 1859 " International 1892 " Dresden, Band of the Opera 182530 " Karlsruhe - Jos. Strauss 1859 435.4 Philharmonic Society 1828 436 St Petersburg Opera 1796 438 Paris Theatre Feydeau 1829 439 New Philharmonic 1896 === Modern Orchestral Pitch and Ancient Medium Church Pitch ===== 440 A American Federation of Musicians 1917 " U.S. Government 1920 " Associated Music Industries 1925 " International Standard 1939 " Paris Conservatoire 1812 " Dresden Opera 1862 440.2 Scheibler's Stuttgart Standard 1834 441 Covent Garden Opera 1878 " Paris Grand Opera 1836 " Paris Italian Opera 1836 " Paris Theatre Feydeau 1836 441.8 Berlin Opera 1834 442 Hampton Court Palace 1690 " Bernhardt Schmidt low 1690 442.4 Érard Paris 1899 443.3 Paris Woelfel pianofortes 1836 444 Paris CavailléColl organ 1859 444.6 London St Paul's Cathedral Organ 1877 445 Madrid 1858 445.9 Broadwood's medium pitch 184954 446 Paris - Pleyel pianos 1854 447 Vienna Opera 1878 " Paris Opera 1858 448 Hamburg Opera 1839 449 Leipzig Gewandhaus 1859 " Paris Conservatoire 1853 450 Covent Garden Orchestra 1879 451 British & Belgian Instrument Std 1879 452 London International Exhibition 1885 452.5 Philharmonic Society 184654 455 London Philharmonic (highest) 1874 455.3 Érard,Broadwood,Steinway,Brinsmead 1880 456.1 Vienna, old sharp pitch (Streicher piano) 1834 457.2 American Steinway 1890 Church Pitch High 458 Great Franciscan Organ, Vienna 1640 461.6 Highest U.S. Concert Pitch 1800's 466.164 A# 474 Tomkins 1668 " B. Schmidt, high 1683 481 St Catherine's, Hamburg 1543 489 St James, Hamburg Schnitger Organs 1688 Church Pitch Highest 493.883 B 494 St James, Hamburg 1879 496 Rendsburg 1668 504 Arnold Schlick high 1511 506 Halberstadt Cathedral 1361 522.5 Handel's tuning fork 1751 523.251 C 554.365 C# Chamber Pitch Highest 563 Mersenne, ton de chambre 1636 567 Pretorius 1619 587.33 D Conrad Hoffsommer - Music Technician Luther College, 700 College Dr., Decorah, Iowa 52101-1045 Vox-(563)-387-1204 // Fax (563)-387-1076 - Education is what you get from reading the small print. Experience is what you get from not reading it.
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