[CAUT] Broadwood Temperament

[Fred Sturm]

Hi Jim,
     I don't think there would ever be a connection between stringing  
scale and associated design features and temperament. And anyway,  
Broadwood was one of the big promoters of the idea of equal  
temperament. The Broadwood tuning instructions aren't, shall we say,  
precise enough to produce a fine degree of equal temperament (they  
are more or less on the lines of Braid White), but the intent is  
definitely ET. The fact that tuners working for Broadwood, including  
those considered the "best," actually produced tunings with strong  
vestiges of well temperament is very interesting. But they didn't  
learn those vestiges "from Broadwood," but rather from an aural  
tradition of apprenticeship (this being speculation, but well grounded).
     We used to have a certain degree of this kind of tradition in  
the US - I know the oldest member of our chapter, who learned from  
his father, who learned from his father, had a series of chords he  
would play to make sure the temperament "sounded right." He couldn't  
really explain what he was listening for. It was on the lines of  
"this is what a c major chord is supposed to sound like." Much of  
that has been lost with the advent of our standard exam system, and  
the kind of teaching that has been promulgated on a national basis.
     I find it very interesting also that in Germany, where there is  
a strong guild tradition, and where until very recently you had to  
have done the full course of study, apprenticeship and testing to be  
called a Klavierbauer and set up shop to repair and maintain pianos  
(European Union regulations have ended those controls), piano tuning  
is not part of that system. Tuning is unregulated. It is considered  
an "art."
     Now what does this mean in a practical sense? I speculate that  
it means (or used to mean) that individual tuners learned their own  
systems of temperament and stretch. There is (or was) a good deal of  
variety out there, and individual tuners would probably "hide their  
secrets." Musicians would be loyal to their tuner because only he/she  
could make the piano sound that good.
     But maybe this is romantic poppycock <g>.
Regards,
Fred Sturm
University of New Mexico
fssturm@unm.edu



On Nov 21, 2005, at 9:51 AM, James Ellis wrote:

> Alan, Ed, Fred, et al,
>
> I once had a circa 1830, 7'9" Broadwood piano that had a number of  
> steps in
> the string lengths in the middle of the scale.  The string lengths  
> did not
> follow a smooth curve, but had little irregular jogs in them.   
> Bridges were
> original.  Does anyone know if these are related to some preferred
> temperament, or were they just to accommodate changes in wire size?  A
> rebuilder has the piano now, and I doubt he has done anything with  
> it so far.
>
> Sincerely,  Jim Ellis
>
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