HT Reaction

[Billbrpt@aol.com]

In a message dated 6/19/98 2:27:01 PM Central Daylight Time, atodd@UH.EDU
writes:

<< With a little help from a few of my cyber tuner friends, I decided to
 "get my feet wet" with Historical Tuning.>>

Hurray!  Join the Club!

    <<Being an educational institution,
 this seems the perfect place to try it and the students need to be exposed
 to it as part of their education.>>

Yes, they do.

  <<  The teacher was at first reluctant because she's had no experience or
 exposure to HT's at all.>>

Typical.  Afraid of the unknown.  "Wouldn't like it, wouldn't want it".
"Didn't Bach invent ET and everybody used it ever since, including Mozart?"

   
 <<   Late this morning, I had a message on my phone from her saying: "I just
 wanted to let you know that it's, uh, well, it's COOOOL! I like it. (A
 little chuckle here.) And you're right, the chords blend differently, the
 different tonalities *do* have different colors as you go through the
 transitions. And it isn't all *that* different, so that there's anything
 that would throw me off. So, I guess it's a go." >>

Usually what happens.
 
  <<  The only unknown right now is the conductor, Carl St. Clair, who is the
 Music Director for the Pacific Symphony Orchestra....  I've been told that 
he's very open to new things and current trends, so I'm not expecting any
 problem.>>

He probably will defer to the pianist.  If it's OK with her, it's OK with him.
His reaction to the proposal might have been the same as the pianist's, fear
and misconception, the old "it wouldn't work" theory.  In fact however, the
conductor has "the worst seat in the house", to quote what a director said to
me once.  He/she can hear the piano but any concern about strident intervals
or the like just wouldn't materialize.  If you never told him about the
different tuning, he would most likely not even be aware of it.  It is good
that he knows however, very good.

  <<  Two questions I'd like to ask those of you with experience doing this
 in orchestral situations. Pertaining to intonation, I've read that singers
 and string players tend to gravitate away from ET anyway, left to their
 own devices. What about wind players? Do they also?>>

yes


<< Is it harder for them to adjust to an HT than it would be for string
players?>>

No
 
<<Wouldn't their instruments be designed and built to play in ET?>>

No and neither is a piano, contrary to popular List mythology.


  <<  The second question is informing people about it. Especially the
 audience at the concert. Should anything at all be said about it? >>

It is usually not done.  However since it is a university setting and a first
for this one, you might want to do something.  Don't make a big lecture out of
it.  A 1-3 sentance statement is enough, either in print or as a comment
before the performance.  Notice that I said "comment", not a whole mini-course
in HT's.  If the audience is interested enough about the change in procedures,
you'll get feedback that will tell you whether or not people want to know
more.

We all know very well that the technician usually gets no public credit for
his/her work.  In making a public statement such as this, you will be bucking
more than one trend.  Tread lightly and carefully, there may be snakes in the
grass.


<<    Thanks for wading through all this (those of you who did :-) ). Any
 comments, suggestions, etc. are welcome.>>

That's why I am on this List.
 
<< Avery
 
 P.S. As if I don't have enough to do already, I have to go and add HT"s
 to the list. :-)>>

HT's mean more work and the need for a whole new area of study and
understanding plus a very thick skin for all the resistance you will meet.
That is the principal reason  for all the opposition among the tuning
profession.  If our profession can keep the customers and artists afraid and
in the dark about the HT's, then all of us would not have to work so hard.  If
we can keep the emotional highs and lows out of the music and just limit
expression to playing louder and faster, then life will be much simpler.  It's
the Faherheit 454 philosophy. Eliminate the demand by making that which may be
coveted unknown.

Bill Bremmer RPT
Madison, Wisconsin