<HTML><BODY><DIV style='font-family: "Verdana"; font-size: 10pt;'><DIV> <DIV>Our clout is only as strong as the person who gives us the check. The check I get for tuning to 442, 460, or 410, will buy just as many groceries as the check I get for tuning to 440.  (Actually, I can buy more groceries, but you get my drift). </DIV> <DIV>Wim</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <BR>-----Original Message-----<BR>From: Chris Solliday <solliday@ptd.net><BR>To: College and University Technicians <caut@ptg.org><BR>Sent: Thu, 28 Apr 2005 10:22:31 -0400<BR>Subject: Re: [CAUT] International standard?<BR><BR> <STYLE> .AOLPlainTextBody { margin: 0px; font-family: Tahoma, Verdana, Arial, Sans-Serif; font-size: 12px; color: #000; background-color: #fff; } .AOLPlainTextBody pre { font-size: 9pt; } .AOLInlineAttachment { margin: 10px; } .AOLAttachmentHeader { border-bottom: 2px solid #E9EAEB; background: #F9F9F9; } .AOLAttachmentHeader .Title { font: 11px Tahoma; font-weight: bold; color: #666666; background: #E9EAEB; padding: 3px 0px 1px 10px; } .AOLAttachmentHeader .FieldLabel { font: 11px Tahoma; font-weight: bold; color: #666666; padding: 1px 10px 1px 9px; } .AOLAttachmentHeader .FieldValue { font: 11px Tahoma; color: #333333; } </STYLE> <DIV class=AOLPlainTextBody id=AOLMsgPart_0_e0e45d65-12ba-4cec-8284-ffeddb583bba><PRE><TT>Well, I think it's time we took a stand. 440 is high enough. Enough tension in the world, etc. IMHO we as tuners have some clout and we ought to use use it. Chris Solliday ----- Original Message ----- From: "Fred Sturm" <<A href="mailto:fssturm%40unm.edu">fssturm@unm.edu</A>> To: "College and University Technicians" <<A href="mailto:caut%40ptg.org">caut@ptg.org</A>> Sent: Wednesday, April 27, 2005 6:23 PM Subject: Re: [CAUT] International standard? > Another bit of info, FWIW, from the International Organization of > Standardization (generally uses ISO as its international acronym), > <A href="http://www.iso.org" target=_blank>www.iso.org</A> > "ISO 16:1975 Specifies the frequency for the note A in the treble stave and > shall be 440 Hz. Tuning and retuning shall be effected by instruments > producing it within an accuracy of 0,5 Hz." > > Who is ISO? This is how they describe themselves: > > "ISO is a network of the national standards institutes of 150 countries, on > the basis of one member per country, with a Central Secretariat in Geneva, > Switzerland, that coordinates the system. > > "ISO is a non-governmental organization: its members are not, as is the case > in the United Nations system, delegations of national governments. > Nevertheless, ISO occupies a special position between the public and private > sectors. This is because, on the one hand, many of its member institutes are > part of the governmental structure of their countries, or are mandated by > their government. On the other hand, other members have their roots uniquely > in the private sector, having been set up by national partnerships of > industry associations. > > "Therefore, ISO is able to act as a bridging organization in which a > consensus can be reached on solutions that meet both the requirements of > business and the broader needs of society, such as the needs of stakeholder > groups like consumers and users." > > As I understand this, standards set by ISO are commonly adhered to, but > have no force of law (well, there are probably exceptions). In the case of > musical pitch, my own take on the current situation is that practically > speaking 442 has become the international standard by virtue of the major > manufacturers of percussion and winds making it their default pitch. They > have responded, presumably, to international market forces. There is more > demand for instruments at 442 than at 440. > It doesn't really matter to me what the standard is, as long as it is > reliably standard. Unfortunately we live during a period when the standard > seems to be in flux. Fortunately there is less flux now than during many > periods in the past. > Regards, > Fred Sturm > University of New Mexico > > > > On 4/27/05 1:42 PM, "Fred Sturm" <<A href="mailto:fssturm%40unm.edu">fssturm@unm.edu</A>> wrote: > > > I just found this, which confirms the Goebbels connection > > <<A href="http://groups.msn.com/Todakcrew/musicarticles.msnw" target=_blank>http://groups.msn.com/Todakcrew/musicarticles.msnw</A>>: > > The first effort to institutionalize A=440 in fact was a conference > > organized by Joseph Goebbels in 1939, who had standardized A=440 as the > > official German pitch. Professor Robert Dussaut of the National Conservatory > > of Paris told the French press that: ``By September 1938, the Accoustic > > Committee of Radio Berlin requested the British Standard Association to > > organize a congress in London to adopt internationally the German Radio > > tuning of 440 periods. This congress did in fact occur in London, a very > > short time before the war, in May-June 1939. No French composer was invited. > > The decision to raise the pitch was thus taken without consulting French > > musicians, and against their will.'' The Anglo-Nazi agreement, given the > > outbreak of war, did not last, so that still A=440 did not stick as a > > standard pitch. > > > > A second congress in London of the International Standardizing Organization > > met in October 1953, to again attempt to impose A=440 internationally. This > > conference passed such a resolution; again no Continental musicians who > > opposed the rise in pitch were invited, and the resolution was widely > > ignored. Professor Dussaut of the Paris Conservatory wrote that British > > instrument makers catering to the U.S. jazz trade, which played at A=440 and > > above, had demanded the higher pitch, ``and it is shocking to me that our > > orchestra members and singers should thus be dependent upon jazz players.'' > > A referendum by Professor Dussaut of 23,000 French musicians voted > > overwhelmingly for A=432. > > > > Regards, > > Fred Sturm > > University of New Mexico > > > _______________________________________________ > caut list info: <A href="https://www.moypiano.com/resources/#archives" target=_blank>https://www.moypiano.com/resources/#archives</A> > > _______________________________________________ caut list info: <A href="https://www.moypiano.com/resources/#archives" target=_blank>https://www.moypiano.com/resources/#archives</A> </TT></PRE></DIV></DIV></DIV></BODY></HTML>