[CAUT] ET vs UET was RE: using as ETD

[David Love]

I agree with your assessment of the romantic period and the prevalence of
diatonic keys.  The argument for UETs, in my view, lies in the contrast or
"color" variations that the different thirds characteristics give to each
key.  Thus, for example, when modulating from the tonic in a "less harsh"
key to a "more harsh" key, the return to the tonic creates a quiet but
convincing homecoming of sorts.  Unfortunately that doesn't hold true if the
tonic happens to fall in one of the outer or harsher keys, as you've
mentioned.  There are countless examples of that in the Romantic literature
(and beyond) and, in my view, UETs are much less successful there.  

However, I would argue from this particular aesthetic viewpoint that even in
the most famous piece of Baroque literature (the WTC 48 preludes and fugues)
the use of UETs doesn't always hold up well either when the outer keys are
considered.  The P/F #8 in Eb minor/D# minor of book one comes to mind and
there are others.  But this ventures now into the realm of personal taste
(which is probably where it belongs) and I'm willing to confess to mine even
as I find UET's of interest for various other reasons.  Clearly there are
different methods of dealing with temperaments and the aesthetic merits of
each can be argued.  Beyond that, however, the general answer to the claims
seems to be "it depends".  

David Love
www.davidlovepianos.com



	Temperament history is another question, and David Love's statements

above are very much in agreement with the available historical  
documentation. My comments/assertions up to this point are more to the  
statement that "WT sounds less harsh" based on a supposed prevalence  
of diatonic keys in common practice music for piano. That claim  
(prevalence of diatonic keys) holds for the classical period and  
before. It does not hold for the romantic period and after. Common  
practice music referring to what professional pianists perform as a  
general rule (not necessarily to all the literature composed and  
printed during the period, which might well have a bias towards  
"easier" keys, because of being aimed at a public for whom "lots of  
sharps or flats" would be beyond their capabilities to read and play).
	If one prefers WT, well and good. It is in the variety, not the  
overall number of major third beats that the difference lies, if we  
are talking about the romantic literature (which seems to be pretty  
much the bulk of what gets performed).
Regards,
Fred Sturm
fssturm at unm.edu
"I am only interested in music that is better than it can be played."  
Schnabel