HT at UIB

[Richard Brekne]

List

Many of you know I have embarked on a path towards learning more about
Historical Temperaments. I thought I might relate about a curious
development at the UiB this past week. After about 3 weeks of exposure to
one piano tuned with the help of Cyber Ear to the Vallotti Young
temperament, I beging to notice this particular piano more and more in use.
I walked by the room yesterday and was a bit suprised to hear this
instrument being vigorously used, so I hazardly entered to see what was
going on. Here was this young girl just enthralled in her playing.... she
stopped abrubtly when she noticed me and smiled up at me a bit embarresed.
I asked her about the tuneing, what she thought and she said she just loved
it... wanted to know more about why it sounded the way it did.

We got into this rather lengthy discussion about the differences between
equal temperaments and non equal but non restrictive temperaments (what I
have surmised so far anyways) and she just couldnt get enough info. Asked
many questions I had no real answers too. I left her after explaining what
I could to her, telling her that my understanding of the music she was
playing was that the composer (Bach) very purposely used the different keys
to both demonstrate the non-restrictive nature of this kind of temperament,
and to purposely exploit the difference in key color, that if she thought
over what the composer did and where (from a composition theory point of
view) she might gain a new perspective into this music. I also told her I
was on shakey ground as far as all this was concerned, but regardless the
effort would be an enlightening one for her.

She and 2 others students have related to me today that they would like one
of the practice grands tuned this way, that they find it much more
enjoyable to play on... that they didnt quite like the sound at first but
the more they play on it the more they want that sound and not what they
have been used to.

Just thought you might like to know.

Also... a bit to the side of this... I find reading Owen Jorgensens
descriptions of how pianos were tuned in the 19th century and before
enthralling. Especially the idea that piano tuners didnt neccessarilly play
intervals while tuning, rather singles note in succession. Finding the
right pitch for notes much in the manner we find the right pitch when
singing. This was "ear tuning", and what we do today was known as "beat
counting".. you had "ear tuners" and "beat counters". Must have been quite
a different... I shall use the word paradigm...

What a neat place the world of HT is.

--
Richard Brekne
RPT, N.P.T.F.
Bergen, Norway