historical et (Long)

[A440A]

Greetings, 
Les writes;
>  What IS the issue is this: The tunings the old composers used were meant
>SPECIFICALLY TO ACCOMODATE OR FIT THE TONAL PROPERTIES OF THE INTRUMENTS  
>THEY WERE WRITING FOR --ie TO MAXIMIZE THEIR VIRTUES AND TO MINIMIZE
>THEIR FAULTS. By that I mean this:Bach wrote the Well-Tempered Clavichord;
> he did NOT WRITE The Well-Tempered late 20th Century Concert Grand!

     Les, I respectfully and totally disagree with you on this point.
"Clavier" is what Bach was writing for, and that could cover a variety of
keyboards.  
 In response to  tunings meaning  "SPECIFICALLY TO ACCOMODATE OR FIT THE TONAL
PROPERTIES OF THE INTRUMENTS  THEY WERE WRITING FOR "  That can be true, but
it is not necessarily the only description of their use.  You may also
describe the temperaments as being used on the most modern instruments of the
day.  From this perspective, the use of the tunings on currently modern
instruments is historically as valid  as using ET for 18th century harmonic
keyboard structure.  
   

>When you tune a modern concert grand to a temperament intended
>for a clavichord YOU ARE NOT HEARING BACH THE WAY EITHER HE OR HIS
>CONTEMPORARIES HEARD IT. Am I clear, so far?>>

       When you tune it in ET  you are not hearing Bach the way either he or
his contemporaries heard it" either .  
So, is not the question, 
"What Alteration Shall We 20th Century types Use On These Big Instruments?"
 
     This is a pertinent question, because the vast majority of this old music
is performed not on the relatively rare pianofortes or harpsichords, but on
the piano.  So,  the question must be answered by listening, not semantics or
logic.  
       I propose the real issue is whether Mozart, Beethoven, (and even Bach)
sound better on a modern piano that is tuned in ET or an appropriate HT.  In
my experience, listeners so far seem to favor Beethoven in an HT by a margin
of about 60 to 1 and I expect and encourage this trend to continue.  There is
nothing wrong with ET that losing its dominance won't fix.  

Best regards,  
Ed Foote