Dave & List - A couple years ago I overhauled Dallas Symhony's celeste. As I recall, it was at exactly 440. It would be a major project to retune the celeste! (A celeste is exceedingly stable, of course, but temperature sensitive.) Many years ago (25?) the PTG had a Standing Committee on Pitch Stabilization, which I chaired for a year or two. The committee fielded occassional complaints exactly like the present discussion. The committee eventually came to the conclusion there was nothing constructive it could do about the situation; the 'renegade' orchestras were - and are - firmly entrenched. The committee eventually recommended its own dissolution and Council concurred. In retrospect, I think the committee should have drafted a brief position paper before going out of business. Newton and Joel Jones and others are right that it is more of a hassle than meets the eye to customize the pitch of a concert instrument. I think the response to such requests should be: "Yes, we can accommodate you. Our fee for that service is [say, four times the usual tuning fee]. Would you like us to include that in your contract arrangements?" For what it's worth: A professional flutist in my clientelle recently commissioned a new hand-made flute (of gold, for $25K +). To my ears, and by all accounts, it's a fabulous instrument. Anyway, she had it built at 442, shooting for the center of the range of performance situations. She says she can comfortably play at 440, but not lower, and as high as 444. When I work with her for performances and recordings, the understanding we have is that if the piano is lower than 440, raise to 440. If it's already a little high for some reason, leave it there. - Tom McNeil - Vermont Piano Restorations In a message dated 99-09-14 19:20:18 EDT, David Porritt writes: << The Dallas Symphony tunes to 441 from the principal oboe. In the first 64 measures they go higher as the instruments warm up. When the new pipe organ was installed, the organ builders very carefully measured not the claim, but the actual pitch where they play. (The last thing the organ people want is for the orchestra to play a section, then the organ comes in and sounds flat.) They tuned the organ at 443.5. In performance they match very well. >>
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