what's with the new temperaments?

[Ron Koval]

Hi list-

My contentention that the implementation of tuning in the past may have been 
flawed, if it was not consistantly repeatable was questioned by ric M:

<snip>
We might have to set definitions. Implementation, roughly means
how it was done.  How tuning was done in 1845, or 1870 can be
ascertained if one researches the historic record of the tuning
instructions written at that time.
    Ellis gives the methods (of how the tunings were implemented)
used by Broadwood and Sons those used by Moore and Moore.   The
two pattern are different yet they both strived for ET.  Ellis
measured the results and presented them in a table titled,
"Specimens of Tuning in Equal Temperament".
<snip>

OK, I understand the confusion.  Sorry, I guess I was more focused on 
results.  I think this whole conversation revolves around what is ET and 
what is not ET.  I still follow up on someone around here that leaves all 
the C's around 8 cents flat, combined with a bunch of other errors that put 
it in the reverse, or sideways well temperament catagory.  I finally took 
the time to analyze it recently, because he tuned two pianos side by side, 
so I could be pretty sure about what he did.  It was the old problem of 
getting the 5ths too pure, and then fudging the rest to finish.  I'm sure he 
is striving for ET, and believes he is achieving ET.  If he published a 
paper on his methods for tuning equal temperament, and it was found in 100 
years,(assuming you were still around) would you believe that he WAS tuning 
ET?

This, I believe is what we are looking at in the old record.  They were 
using a NEW tuning, probably excited about the possibilities of playing and 
composing music in all keys.  "This must be ET!"  Maybe it might have been 
more accurate to call it NMT! (Not Mean Tone)

I just came across an old business card in an old upright last month.  A 
message across the decades..... It had the person's name, and underneath it 
said:
"Well tempered tunings"

I wonder what he really meant?

Ron Koval


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