I've discussed historical temperaments with a local piano professor who is interested in thorough investigation on how to interpret a piece. (He wants a pianoforte.) He freely acknowledged that he had not been taught anything about temperaments--that he had much to investigate there. How many serious pianists do you know who actually converse a little on temperaments. I don't think anyone has done an in depth survey on this. I suspect that technician's have been in the driver's seat on temperament while artists have generally been more concerned with unisons, stability and regular intervals--octaves and fifths etc. I have several pianos on the floor here. I'm going to put a WT on one (the smaller grand) and see how people compare them. ;-) I'll probably invite the prof. over to try it out. Andrew Anderson At 07:48 AM 1/12/2006, you wrote: >One other comment. The problem with these types of explanations is that >they ignore the data. In reaching a conclusion you first have to look at >the data and what that tells you. After that you look at factors which >might mitigate against your conclusion. The data suggest that people who >are presumed savvy about issues such as temperament are not choosing them. >The factors that mitigate against that conclusion are such as those >mentioned below but even so, it represents only one tuners attitude on the >subject and there's nothing to suggest that artists are asking for HT's and >not getting them. When you stick to your conclusion (really your opening >premise) in spite of the data then it suggests a bias. You're really >starting with a conclusion and then looking for reasons to support it rather >than collecting the data and reaching a conclusion based on what you find. > > > >David Love >davidlovepianos@comcast.net > >-----Original Message----- >From: Porritt, David [mailto:pianotech-bounces@ptg.org] On Behalf Of >Porritt, David >Sent: Wednesday, January 11, 2006 2:26 PM >To: An open list for piano technicians >Subject: RE: (careful, it is about temperaments) > > > >Or they thought that when they took their show on the road they couldn't get >the temperament of their choice executed by the technicians in the field. > >From my observations that's probably true. I listened to Franz Mohr tell a >class that if an artist asks for a non-ET temperament to just tune ET and >don't go there. Now that was a few years ago but his view of the subject >indicated that this idea was probably not subject to change. > > > >dp > > > >__________________________ > >David M. Porritt, RPT >Meadows School of the Arts >Southern Methodist University >Dallas, TX 75275 >dporritt@smu.edu > > > > _____ > >From: pianotech-bounces@ptg.org on behalf of David Love >Sent: Wed 1/11/2006 2:49 PM >To: 'An open list for piano technicians' >Subject: RE: (careful, it is about temperaments) > >One thing to consider in all this (and I've probably exhausted my thoughts) >is what the major pianist/scholars are doing in this respect. Pianists like >Brendl, Schnabel, Perahia, and most of not virtually all others who pour >over original source material, biographies, writings, documents in order to >glean that small little detail that adds to their commitment to a more >authentic interpretation of the music as conceived by the composer. Of all >these people it seems (and I say this with the caveat that I have not >actually done the research) that most if not all of them, when choosing to >record/perform, opt for ET. While there may be a few who, to their credit, >are exploring these pieces in the temperaments of the times, they are a >stark minority. To suggest that the leading interpreters of classical music >of the last century take such pains for authenticity while rejecting the, we >assume, prevailing tuning style of the times forces you to the conclusion >that they either consciously chose to reject it because it wasn't in their >view relevant to the music and authentic interpretation, or that they >are/were ignorant, biased or, as Bremmer suggests, did it for some strange >business reason. Considering the extent to which they research these issues >and their apparent commitment to the original intent of the composers leads >me to the conclusion that the tuning style was rejected consciously and that >it was not relevant, in their view, to an authentic and musical >interpretation. Who am I to argue? If there is real evidence to the >contrary, I'm open to hearing it. > >David Love >davidlovepianos@comcast.net > >-----Original Message----- >From: pianotech-bounces@ptg.org [mailto:pianotech-bounces@ptg.org] On Behalf >Of Ric Brekne >Sent: Wednesday, January 11, 2006 10:48 AM >To: pianotech >Subject: (careful, it is about temperaments) > >As to the matter of conclusive.... we of course agree. I dont anyone >can claim conclusive proof one way or the other either... not by a long >shot. That said, I /believe/ that composers were affected by the sounds >around them... perfect pitch aware or not. I try to imagine my self in >that same enviroment... could I not be influenced ? Could it not be a >significant part of why I choose any particular key ? Well... we will >never know perhaps... I'm not sure it really matters much. Certainly >much in that world is there to be explored... if not re-explored. > >Cheers >RicB > >While I think the exploration of WT has it's own interest in terms of what >the composers of that day may have been hearing when they actually played >their works on the piano or related instrument, I think it is far from >conclusive that those who often conceived of and composed things away from >the instrument, with a keen sense of absolute pitch and the unique >characteristics of each key apart from the piano, with orchestration ever in >their minds would have been driven by tuning style that was evolving even >during their own lifetimes. >_______________________________________________ >Pianotech list info: https://www.moypiano.com/resources/#archives > > >_______________________________________________ >Pianotech list info: https://www.moypiano.com/resources/#archives > > > >_______________________________________________ >Pianotech list info: https://www.moypiano.com/resources/#archives
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