[ctuner] Brahms & Well Temperament

[A440A@aol.com]

Richard writes:

>    Its a quibble perhaps, (for sure really) but yes, some of us
> tuners at least, are all ears to know which "well temperament"
> Edwin Good, one of the curators of the recent Piano 300 exhibit at
> the Smithsonian, adores.

    I would be surprised if many pianists accustomed to the well-tempered 
tunings would quibble over the differences between a modern Coleman 11, 
engineered on a spread-sheeet, or the form of the Moore and Co.  that 
Jorgensen offers.  Or even for that matter, virtually any of the 19th century 
tunings that keep the widest third below 17-18cents or so.  Owen's chapter on 
"Tuning to Taste" in "Tuning"  lets any tuner try the gamut.  I do have some 
customers that have tried them all and selected the one that pleases them 
best, all around, but all of them say the huge difference is between ET and 
any of them.   
   Of some importance is the fact that one person's attraction for a tuning 
doesn't answer too many questions for others,  it only suggests a starting 
place.  Like opening with a pretty big wine with really strong cheddar 
cheese.  Some may still prefer a lite-white, but many find that out of 
balance.  There is no "perfect" temperament for everyone.   Some respondents 
have fallen in love with 1/4 comma Mozart on our CD and I still work for 
people that like every third to be the same.   
   Mr. Good's preference of a particular tuning for Brahms isn't a reflection 
on any exact temperament as much as it is of his personal aesthetic sense of 
harmony. Since a pianist can, in a highly tempered key, play either 
expressively or harshly, one's preference may not suit another.   Maybe 
changing the instrument's voicing would cause him to switch his preferred 
tuning, or he could possibly think another temperament would sound best for 
someone else's playing. 
    Simply switching temperaments doesn't automatically "color" the music to 
its optimum.  The pianist has to do the actual creation of musical 
sensations, and they all do it differently. in fact, I think the musicians' 
interpretation makes a bigger difference in the music's impact that any 
difference between the typical  Victorian tunings.  And I really like some of 
those temperaments! 
     

Ed Foote RPT 
www.uk-piano.org/edfoote/
www.uk-piano.org/edfoote/well_tempered_piano.html
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