Appropriate Historical Temperaments

[Lawrence Becker]

At 02:56 PM 5/16/01 +1000, you wrote:

>I have recently started using an 18 century French temperament, 
>Tempérament Ordinaire for our three harpsichords and one fortepiano. This 
>is one version from a family of temperaments used on organs. It comes from 
>a great book - The Well Tempered Organ by  Charles A Padgham ( Oxford 1986).
>
>I had been tuning a Vallotti/Young but was unhappy with some 
>disagreements, particularly the E-G# third and A-E fifth and an overall 
>awkwardness or abruptness in many of its modulations. I also tune outside 
>work for a baroque ensemble and the Vallotti is the current favourite with 
>most string and woodwind players.
>
>However, I've been overwhelmed with positive comments about this tuning. I 
>put this tempering into the studio piano of our baroque flute teacher. He 
>stops me every other day and thanks me for it. The two modern flute 
>teachers have heard it and want their pianos changed to it. The 
>harpsichord tutor and his students commented straight away on the day I 
>tuned the harpsichord - they love it. And, unbelievably, I have now had 
>two piano staff asking to try it in their studio pianos.
>
>This is a very finely 'crafted' tempering;  it's secret, I believe, is a 
>close attention to internal agreements of beat speeds and not just purity 
>of intervals. Many temperings achieve a purity of thirds or fifths in 
>certain keys but in actual playing, this purity is masked by excessive 
>beats in minor thirds and sixths especially. In this tempering in the 
>central keys of 1 or 2 sharps and flats, for example, beats in thirds or 
>fifths agree with beats in sixths which creates a wonderful clarity of 
>texture to chords and harmonies. It is elegant and beautiful and smooth in 
>its modulation, even through the more coloured, remote keys.
>
>Historical appropriateness is of course, another issue. It would seem to 
>be a natural choice for, say Couperin, but purists may object to its use 
>for German or Italian music. But, until they start objecting.....I've got 
>some very happy  musicians!
>
>If you have some kind of ETD  here are the cent deviations from 
>unstretched, equal temperament ie.100 cents/semitone:
>A,  Bb, B, C ,C#, D, Eb, E ,  F,  F#, G,  G#, A
>0, +7, -6,+9,-2,+3,+2, -3,+12,-4, +6,-1,    0
>
>Geoffrey Pollard
>Sydney Conservatorium of Music
>Sydney, Australia
>
>
>
>

Thanks, Geoffrey.  I decided to try this Temperament Ordinaire, and just 
went out and did it!  Certainly a different sound, elegant, with quite a 
lively character around C#.  Haven't heard back from the students in the 
ensemble (or their professor) yet.

Also, I was heartened by Ed's comment that he keeps most instruments in 
Young.  I'm thinking that's what we call the Valotti/Young, which is our 
default for harpsichord and fortepiano.

Trying these temperaments is fun!  Thanks for the responses.

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Lawrence Becker, RPT
Piano Technician
College-Conservatory of Music
University of Cincinnati
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