Just Intonation--Orchestra Players, etc.

[Richard Moody]

Here is a valuable input from a "lurker", gives an insight into their
philosophy, and I hope paves the way for more "audience" participation.  
Posted with permission. rm


> From: JStan40 <JStan40@aol.com>
> To: remoody@easnet.net
> Subject: Just Intonation--Orchestra Players, etc.
> Date: Saturday, March 28, 1998 12:33 PM



Dear Richard,

I am one of those "lurkers" oft-referred to by various contributors to the
List.  Your observation concerning the intonation problems in the
orchestra,
and the problem that the orchestra experiences as soon as a keyboard
instrument is present prompted me to write.

Forget the historical ideas for the moment, and the fact that for the
early
existence of the orchestra the harpsichord was always present.  This is
true,
but I doubt that much of the harpsichord was heard then, either--mostly
ching-
ching-ching as a rhythmic effect.  (I have an old buddy who is
harpsichordist
with the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra who will likely dispute this!)  Let's
talk
about modern orchestras and modern intonation problems.  String and wind
players, left to their own devices, will seek out aurally the best
intonation
for any particular chord or interval.  This has nothing to do with a
preconceived notion of a particular temperament, it has to do with tuning
THAT
chord.  I am a trombonist (I'm SUPPOSED to be able to play "in tune") who
has
played in symphony orchestras of one sort and another for many years.  I
am
also a theorist (dirty word) whose main income comes from teaching music
theory and aural skills, along with music history, so my interest in all
this
comes from different directions.  Having also spent my high school years
travelling the countryside with a piano tuner, sort of an apprenticeship,
though not really a formal one, I also have an interest in the tuning part
of
all this from the other side.

Here is the main point.  The orchestra, when confronted with a piano,
either
out front in a concerto, or in our midst as another orchestra member,
always
goes through a period of adjustment during which intonation suffers
somewhat.
Depending upon the level of experience of the musicians, this period may
be
only minutes, for our ears to recognize what we are dealing with, and put
that
into the aural mix that we usually encounter.  Yes, it is different.  No,
we
don't spend any time worrying about the temperament that we might
encounter--we believe our ears and respond accordingly.  Vallotti?  HT? 
VT?
I guess we most often encounter ET, but what's the difference?  Our job is
to
play "in tune," regardless of what kinds of adjustments that may take--we
are
not usually well versed in the finer points of difference between the
various
types of WT's anyway, and don't particularly care.  Do we tune differently
for
enharmonic pitches?  Short answer is yes--longer answer is it depends,
upon
where we are in the chord.  Main point is to be in tune, and that really
means
perfect intervals all the time, Just Intonation, if you will, which floats
as
the tonality of the composition changes.  It is far too complicated a
situation for it to be mapped out accurately (though some acoustical
doctoral
student will certainly try), but that matters not one bit to the
players--we
simply TUNE!

We would mostly prefer NOT playing with keyboard instruments, because we
are
better in tune than they--but we can and do adjust, sometimes seamlessly,
because that is our job.

Too long, I know, but I think you are on the right track, and this is (as
you
can tell) a pet subject of mine, so I just had to put in my two-cents
worth.

If it is of any use, feel free to post this on the list--I haven't become
a
subscriber because I am not in the piano tech business, and because I
don't
really want my e-mail box full every day.  I do tend to run through the
archived list every day or two, out of interest in the subjects discussed.

Stan Ryberg
Barrington IL

ps

Thorough Bass means the playing of a bass line with numbers under notes as
necessary to indicate what other notes should also be present.  It was a
Baroque period performance technique that all keyboard players learned
from
day one.  Not much in use today, but many players DO read it very well as
a
result of playing in early music groups of one sort and another. 
Contrapuntal
(counterpoint) is just the idea that melodic lines are interwoven with
each
other, rather than having one melody and accompaniment to it.  Thorough
Bass,
or Basso Continuo, or just Figured Bass IS a keyboard
technique--counterpoint
MAY be the manner or writing a keyboard piece, and often times was and is.

Sorry--should have gotten that into the first one, but I forgot. 
Advancing
age is signalled by two things:  1) your memory starts to go, and 2)
-------I
forget.

Stan