Bilson & temperaments

[phillip c sloffer]

Hi All

I think it has been about 2 years ago that Mr Bilson was here at IU and
did a masterclass and a recital at one of the local churches.  When he first
arrived we unloaded his fortepiano at another church where her would be able
to practice.  I asked him about temperaments and he did indeed kind of brush
the matter aside or at least I thought so.  He was in town for three days
and gave two recitals and two master classes plus rehearsing.  After we had
moved his piano to the church for his final performance he was very tired and
asked if I would mind tuning for him.  I said I would be happy to tune.
He left to get some food and rest and told me to be sure and hit the notes
very hard or they would not stay in tune.  He returned a short time later and
after a moment he said I was not hitting hard enough.  So I laid into it and
after I had broken two strings he said that I was hitting it too hard.  I
finished tuning and he proceeded to replace the strings I had broken.
He wanted to be sure I noticed that the strings on his fortepiano had no
beckets.  That is to say the string did not make a bend and go into a
hole in the tuning pin.  I look very carefully and saw that it was just
as he said.  The wire just wrapped around the pin and stopped at the top
of the coil.  No becket and it was not wrapped back on itself like we do
in harpsichords.  He however was not able to do this while replacing the
broken strings and had to resort to using the hole in the pin to do the job.

Tuning was dreadful.  Half way thru the first piece it was gone and
just got worse.  At the intermission I went back and asked him if he wanted
me to touch it up.  He said to get the two or three notes in the middle but
the rest was fine.  Well I went forth and ended up retuning the middle
and upper register and when I went back stage he was angry with me because
"People did not come here to hear you tune, they came to hear me play!"
I said I would be glad to go out and un tune it if he liked.  He declined.
When he went out and played the thing was shot after 10 minutes.

So here now is my opinion on historical temperaments on fortepianos.  Of the
four fortepianos I have ever tuned only one was capable of being tuned with
some degree of accuracy.  All the rest were nearly impossible and Bilson's
was without a doubt the worst.  I think tuning 40pnos is more a guessing
game than anything.  And if most of them tune like your worst nightmare
how could any kind of temperament, equal or not, be set?

So I take what people about tuning historical temperaments on fortepianos
with a grain of salt because when you get right down to it most of these
beasts can't be tuned in any temperament.  Or to put another way if
someone tunes a fortepiano and says it is in equal temperament they are just
as right as someone else checking the same tuning and saying it is historical.
(And vice versa)

Sorry for the long post.

Later,
-Phil


+ + + + + + + + + + + + +
+  Phil Sloffer         +
+  psloffer@indiana.edu +
+  Indiana University   +
+  School of Music      +
+  Bloomington Indiana  +
+ + + + + + + + + + + + +