Beethoven in the Temperaments

[Dennis Johnson]

I have not been too involved in these discussions lately, but would like
to quickly add that for all the talk about key colors of greater or lesser
degrees in various temperament styles, the real secret to the beauty of
meantones and mod. meantones are the melodic lines. A few mod. meantones
are actually able to keep extreme color within reasonable unrestrictive
limits while preserving those leading tones which are so expressive.


Also, when tuning modern pianos we will usually end up tuning a more mild
style than when tuning a less modern instrument for several reasons, but I
hesitate to make an aesthetic value judgement based on that
reality of business. If we really are interested in tapping into something
closer to an authentic perception of the musical experience, then I would
suggest that it is actually appropriate to consider a stronger tuning style
then you might otherwise. This is because today we are approaching key
color from the opposite direction then were musicians of the 16th through
19th centuries on keyboards. I believe this is an important distinction if
you are interested in trying to capture something as authentic as
possible. If you are not interested, then it doesn't matter. Both
approaches are legitimate, and both need to be qualified.


Glad to see this discussion carry on for so long on this list.

Dennis Johnson
St. Olaf College