The temperaments

[Avery Todd]

Hi Ed,

    Thanks for the post. This pianist isn't at all intimidated by the 
temperaments.
He's even done a program on a Clavinova, doing his own Marpurg based on his
research. Could be fun.

Avery

At 09:29 AM 01/15/00 -0500, you wrote:
>Avery writes:
> >    Just as kind of an aside on this subject, a DMA piano performance
> >major talked to me today about doing a Marpurg I and an ET on two of
> >our D's for a Lecture Recital he has to do for his degree. He'll be
> >playing Chopin.
> > One of our theory professors took a class with Owen and has told
> >him that Owen said he was pretty convinced that Chopin used a
> >Marpurg. Comments?
>
>Greetings,
>      It is obviously impossible to know what tuning was in Chopin's mind 
> when
>he composed,  but there are several logical choices.
>     During Chopin's lifespan, intonation changed.  Did he, early on  form 
> his
>impressions while listening to well tempered pianos?  Very likely.  Could he
>have preferred Mr. Hipkins tuning, (said to be equal temperament)?  Just as
>likely.
>     What about the the DeMorgan tuning that Owen writes about?  It makes a
>profound difference in Chopin's music, and is  a contender by chronological
>proximity and its color effects.
>    I would suggest that a side by side comparison of ET with something like
>the "Broadwood's Best" or, if you really wanted to be contemporary, use one
>of Jim Coleman's Victorian temperaments, perhaps his # 14.    A Young would
>offer a very workable, graduated series of tonal steps that you could make
>decisions upon.
>    In the final analysis,  the only way to determine the best tuning is to
>listen to several that history tells us were possibilities and make a value
>judgement based on what you hear.  Many musicians are fearful at this point.
>To a musician that knows temperaments only as a jumble of names and changes,
>choice itself can be fraught with peril.  However, a technician knowledgable
>about the evolution of our tuning can be a guide in these matters, and
>quickly become a more valued opinion.
>      As we change from 20th century intonation to whatever is next, (and
>there will be a next),  the  major intonational influences could come from
>the professional tuning technicians, it could crawl out of a computer, or
>both,  who knows?  A better understanding of 17th, 18th, 19th, and 20th
>century tonality may be a prerequisite to intonation's next step, and if so,
>we as technicians get to take part in changing the course of music.  (Change
>is the only constant!  Get on the great mandela! The answer is blowing in the
>windows of little tuning machines and big, (well) read books).
>     If you are really fortunate, you can find enough local pianists to start
>a movement!(:)}}
>
>Regards,
>Ed Foote