[CAUT] Claudio Di Veroli & Equal Temperament

[Ed Sutton]

Fred-

Once again may I point out that in 1827 a piano tuning gadget was being sold 
in Paris. The Shrine to Music in Vermillion SD has one, and John Koster has 
kindly measured it for me. It is calibrated in ET.

I am in possession of a tuning gadget sold in New York in the 1860's. It is 
also calculated in ET.

I like a mild WT. Unfortunately I can't find a historic tuning gadget in WT.

Ed Sutton



You may find it implausible, but the evidence very strongly shows that
tuners did so. Following is Montal's account of why ET is superior
(from the introduction to his book, in a section about the history of
tuning):
             "The practitioners [as opposed to theoreticians]
proclaimed the superiority of unequal temperament, in which the keys
of F, C, G, D, A, and E sounded with great justness to the detriment
of the others. They gave as their rationale that, since the keys that
were used more were more perfectly just, the temperament provided
variety and energy when one used the keys that were more altered,
since intervals affect us differently in accordance with how much they
are altered. Many theoreticians influenced by these arguments didn’t
express an opinion, and limited themselves to accepting both systems;
on the other hand, those who were focused only on theory argued in
favor of equal or mean temperament, in which all the keys are equally
acceptable and where none is favored at the expense of others; so that
the ear is never offended, and the stringing together of modulations
is more agreeable. In fact, the true aim of temperament ought to be
that of sharing the alterations needed over the largest number of
intervals possible in order to make them less apparent. The organists
and harpsichordists of the time, who had little in the way of
technique, were happy with a small number of keys that were easy to
play, but today, when pianists play equally well in all keys, equal
temperament has become an absolute necessity, because our composers do
not choose the easiest keys like the old organists, but they follow
their inspiration and write in F-sharp as well as in F, in D-flat and
A-flat as well as in C and G."

It seems pretty clear to me that we can, indeed, get inside the mind
of a tuner of that time and, whether we agree with him or not,
understand what he thought and what he tried to do. I prefer to follow
the evidence rather than speculate based on my own prejudices.



Regards,
Fred Sturm
University of New Mexico
fssturm at unm.edu