Historical Tuning in the 90's

[A440A@aol.com]

Greetings;

Dennis Johnson writes;
 ""Unfortunately since we are just beginning to ask some of these interesting
questions concerning the relationship between inharmonicity and unequal
temperament as realized on both period and modern instruments, and what all
this means to the music, it may be some time before we have meaningful
answers.""

      I agree with Dennis, it will,  but I think WE can speed up the process,
if we can all manage to talk the same language, or nearly so.

     I think it is a matter of learning how much dissonance does the modern
musical world find to be too much. And then working right near the limit, but
not over it.

1)  In gauging audience response to different temperaments;  the perception
of "out-of-tuneness" that  the more highly tempered keys will invariably
bring forth is, at first, more dramatic than the perception of "in-tuneness"
that the less tempered keys similarly create.
       This difference in perception often changes with additional exposure,
leading to increased awareness of how nice a pure interval is.    However,
 if there is too much dissonance, too soon,  it is as though some aesthetic
damage is done to the listeners sense, and all too often, they retreat to the
safety of the familiar, ( equal).
       So, for those of us interested in creating wider acceptance and demand
for the various temperaments,  perhaps we should think in terms of how best
to  "deprogram"  the modern ears as we lead them into the world of unequal
temperaments.
      For the uninititated listener, the first introductory chord  on a well
temperament shouldn't be F#.  In the same logic,  the first temperament
shouldn't be restrictive or extremely harsh.    Someone earlier posted, "It
is rude and counterproductive".

$.02 is well worth my temper............


Then Dennis gets real esoteric! (:)}}

"  I have noticed that on Borsendorfer pianos I consistantly end up tuning
ET. Why?
Have others of you done the same thing? For some reason I do not get the
same sense of aesthetic disinterest I normally associate with ET when
tuning a modern Bosendorfer piano."

      I would be real interested in how this comes about.  I will be seeing
the only Imperial in my clientele Thursday, and perhaps will have time to
listen to a temp.octave both ways.

Regards, to all,
Ed Foote