[CAUT] Pianoforte pitch

[Laurence Libin]

I should think there's little justification for using a piano in this opera 
if period "authenticity" is the aim. Anyway, about 1775 pitch was likely to 
have been below 440, so not suitable for your orchestra anyway.
Laurence

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Porritt, David" <dporritt at mail.smu.edu>
To: <caut at ptg.org>
Sent: Sunday, January 24, 2010 10:51 AM
Subject: Re: [CAUT] Pianoforte pitch


> Il re pastore
>
> dp
>
>
> David M. Porritt, RPT
> dporritt at smu.edu
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: caut-bounces at ptg.org [mailto:caut-bounces at ptg.org] On Behalf Of 
> Laurence Libin
> Sent: Sunday, January 24, 2010 8:44 AM
> To: caut at ptg.org
> Subject: Re: [CAUT] Pianoforte pitch
>
> That's funny. Which opera? Although contemporary references suggest a 
> piano
> might have been used in Prague for Don Giovanni in the late 1780s, 
> Vienna's
> opera house apparently continued to use the harpsichord through Mozart's
> lifetime.
> Laurence
>
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Porritt, David" <dporritt at mail.smu.edu>
> To: <caut at ptg.org>
> Sent: Saturday, January 23, 2010 10:04 PM
> Subject: Re: [CAUT] Pianoforte pitch
>
>
>> Our opera department is in rehearsal for performance of a Mozart opera in
>> a couple of weeks and they wanted to use the Fortepiano for the
>> recitatives but with the orchestra at 440 and the fortepiano at 430 it
>> just couldn't work.  They've decided to use harpsichord instead.  That
>> disparate pitch thing is at least inconvenient!
>>
>> dp
>>
>>
>> David M. Porritt, RPT
>> dporritt at smu.edu
>>
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: caut-bounces at ptg.org [mailto:caut-bounces at ptg.org] On Behalf Of
>> Dennis Johnson
>> Sent: Saturday, January 23, 2010 5:48 PM
>> To: caut at ptg.org
>> Subject: Re: [CAUT] Pianoforte pitch
>>
>> Hi- Rod suggests 432, or at least no higher. We have nice piano of his
>> about 6 years old now. I keep it at 432 and woks well.
>>
>> best,
>>
>> Dennis Johnson
>> St. Olaf College
>>
>>
>>
>> Sent from my iPhone
>>
>> On Jan 23, 2010, at 3:45 PM, Laurence Libin <lelibin at optonline.net>
>> wrote:
>>
>>> 430 sounds right but you could just ask Rod Regier.
>>> LL
>>>
>>> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Porritt, David"
>>> <dporritt at mail.smu.edu
>>> >
>>> To: <caut at ptg.org>
>>> Sent: Saturday, January 23, 2010 4:35 PM
>>> Subject: Re: [CAUT] Pianoforte pitch
>>>
>>>
>>>> David:
>>>>
>>>> The fortepiano we had available at times belonged to the teacher so
>>>> she set the limits.  She never wanted anything higher than 430 and
>>>> I think that was the recommendation of the builder.  It too was a
>>>> modern replica.
>>>>
>>>> dp
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> David M. Porritt, RPT
>>>> dporritt at smu.edu
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> -----Original Message-----
>>>> From: caut-bounces at ptg.org [mailto:caut-bounces at ptg.org] On Behalf
>>>> Of David Ilvedson
>>>> Sent: Saturday, January 23, 2010 3:25 PM
>>>> To: caut at ptg.org
>>>> Subject: Re: [CAUT] Pianoforte pitch
>>>>
>>>> Modern built "Regier" pianoforte.   I'm having a brain lapse, since
>>>> I rarely tune ours.  Just A= ?
>>>>
>>>> David Ilvedson
>>>> Pacifica, CA
>>>>
>>>> On Jan 23, 2010, at 1:17 PM, Laurence Libin <lelibin at optonline.net>
>>>> wrote:
>>>>
>>>> I don't understand the question. Do you mean a so-called
>>>> fortepiano, wood-framed, 18th or early 19th century? If so, the
>>>> pitch depends on its date and location, since pitch wasn't
>>>> standardized. Florence in 1720 differed from Vienna in 1820. New
>>>> replica or antique? Often, old ones are best tuned below their
>>>> originally intended pitch for structural and conservation reasons.
>>>> Iron strings or modern steel wire? Lots of factors to consider.
>>>> Laurence
>>>>
>>>> ----- Original Message ----- From: "David Ilvedson" 
>>>> <ilvey at sbcglobal.net
>>>> >
>>>> To: "Piano Technicians Guild" <caut at ptg.org>; "Piano Technicians
>>>> Guild" <pianotech at ptg.org>
>>>> Sent: Saturday, January 23, 2010 3:54 PM
>>>> Subject: [CAUT] Pianoforte pitch
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> What is the pitch for a pianoforte?  A =  430?
>>>>
>>>> David Ilvedson
>>>> Pacifica, CA
>>>>
>>>
>