Why Classical & why historic temperaments

[Anne Beetem]

The music will not die.  Pianos will not die, though I do believe the newer
electronic pianos may eventually replace many of the lower quality
uprights.  As yet, despite all the claims, they certainly do not measure up
to the sound or touch of acoustic instruments.   The price for performance
continues to improve, and they do have their virtues, including
programmable historic temperaments, btw.   You can't argue with the
convenience of MIDI ports.  The cost of quality grands is a concern, which
we can hope the makers are addressing.  They don't want to go out of
business.

Why should we expect all people to enjoy what we call classical music?  Do
they all enjoy Shakespeare, or reading Plato?   That doesn't mean that
these pursuits will die either.  Any teacher will tell you that of all
their students, whether piano students, math students, literature, or any
other area, that many just won't respond, but there will be a few who come
along to carry the flame to the next generation.

Now, as for historic temperaments, I have several things to say.  First of
all,  I meant to tell Ed that I enjoyed his article in Piano & Keyboard,
though I have a few bones to pick.  For one,   you have the unfortunate
tendency in the article to come across as if you are the first to have done
these things.   You neglected to mention the historic piano, harpsichord,
and organ world.   Historic tunings are in use every day by many of these
people, and are common to recordings of the last 5 years particularly.
There are also a few enclaves of tuners about the country who do practice
these, and did so at least seven years ago.   There could have been more
discussion of the use of consonance, dissonance, and resolution.  On the
other hand,  I applaud that the article was written and published.

 Now, as far as the tuners being the evangelists?  They cannot do it on
their own.  No, the tuners who believe need to work with performers who
believe.   Talks to groups such as piano teachers giving tastes of the
temperaments and historical basis can be effective.  A few will convert.  A
few more later.  They will pass it on to their students.  Sensitive
performers pick up on the difference immediately, even those from
non-classical backgrounds.  Performers can use these in concerts and on
recordings.  The audience only notices how beautiful it is, provided the
temperament matches the pieces well.   Please, no quarter comma mean tone
for Beethoven please, I've heard it, don't try it!   Bartok on the other
hand......but I digress......  When I had retuned for a recording,  the
recording engineer, a singer and jazz player, sat down to play the piano
and was enthralled, couldn't get away until I reminded him he'd have to pay
me to tune again and was delaying my recording session!  He told me that
night he played late into the night marvelling at the directionalities the
music was taking.  Mind you, this was just with a quasi-equal Victorian
temperament.

Regarding singers:   I work with singers. I play professionally for
singers, in ET, in quasi-ET, in well temperaments.   The good ones pick
right up and are excited with the beauty.  Not a problem.

For people who hear, who remember how to hear, who have been searching for
the sounds they could not hear,  the call of the historic temperaments is a
clarion.   Temperament discussions are already becoming common in historic
performance practice education.   The little Korg MT1200 has preprogrammed
historic temperaments.   It is happening.

ab









Anne Beetem
Harpsichords & Historic Pianos
2070 Bingham Ct.
Reston, VA  20191
abeetem@wizard.net