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<DIV>List,</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>It was quite a serendipitous moment when I open my January 2004 Journal=
and
what do I find on the cover but Chopin’s 4th Ballade. I had ju=
st decided
to program all four ballades at the end of the first half of my next
recital. I read with great interest Owen Jorgensen’s article a=
s he laid
out the emotive key relationships and how they were enhanced by the use of a=
historically appropriate temperament. Being a tuner of necessity rather than=
choice, I never comment on tuning issues since I am much more comfortable in=
the
shop, so I would like to approach this discussion from a pianist perspective=
rather than a tuners’. </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>I was reminded of a conversation I had with a friend way back in High
School. They were complaining about having to play a piece with 2 or 3=
accidentals, I mentioned that I was working on Tchaikowsky’s 1st Pia=
no Concerto
and it had 5 flats throughout much of the work. They looked at me incredulou=
sly
and asked why would anybody do that when it would be easier to play if it ha=
d no
accidentals. I don’t remember what kind of answer I came up wi=
th, probably
just as inane as the question. But the question has stuck in the back =
of
my mind all these years only to finally be brought forward now. There =
are
piece actually made easier to play because of large number of accidentals, s=
uch
as Liszt’s LaCampenella. It is written in G# minor, if it were=
transposed
up ½ step to A minor it would become virtually unplayable. The bl=
ack keys
actually make the large and rapid leaps easier to play. </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Then there is the issue of timbre. The tonal quality of all
instruments, including the piano change as you move through their respective=
ranges. If you transposed the Tschaikowsky up a 4th or 5th you wo=
uld
loose much of the dark brooding character.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Mr. Jorgensen makes mention in the course of his discussions the freque=
nt
application of emotional content to keys. While many composers make
mention of finding a certain quality in certain keys, I would be hesitant to=
read too much into these ideas. I think it is more appropriate to look=
at
this issue from a perspective on an accumulated and historical experience.&n=
bsp;
As an example, if I had been spending a lot of time playing the Wander Fanta=
sy
of Schubert I might think that C Maj was a pompous key, but if instead I was=
living in Mozart’s Sonatas K330 or K545 I might imagine a greater el=
egance and
dignity in that key. Our experience of key color, I believe is strongl=
y
shaped by our past experiences with that particular key and reflects that
accumulated experience. Even if a musician can’t play =
name that pitch”
most still have a subconscious sense of pitch memory, which will inform this=
idea of key “color”. I know in myself I hear key color=
s even in ET where
theoretically none should exist. The only source for this would have t=
o be
previous emotional experience with those keys.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>I at time seek others to come and tune my pianos, so when Ron Koval cal=
led
and said he was going to be in the neighborhood I invited him over to take a=
look at a Conover 77 I had recently rebuilt with new board, block, finish,
actions. (She is a gem, at least in my eyes!) </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Ron installed his KV 4.4 temperament. It is a HT of modern origin=
designed by Ron, its thirds range from 7.5 - 18.7 cents from pure. Mor=
e
information is available at <A
href="http://www.rolingball.com">www.rolingball.com</A>. I have played mus=
ic
ranging from Goldberg Variations by Bach, Beethoven’s Op. 57 Sonata,=
Medtner’s
Sonata Tragic, all four Chopin Ballades, Ravel’s Piano Concerto for =
the Left
Hand, and for about 1 ½ hours the other day I worked with a very talent=
ed young
man on the Rococo Variations of Tschaikowsky. </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>I LKED IT! The variations in major keys in the Bach had greater
repose and the minor variations were darker and less stable. All four
Chopin Ballades have a similar alternation between periods of agitation and
repose, and the KV 4.4 temperament brought out an increased contrast between=
these sections. Even the two 20th Century pieces, the Ravel and Medtne=
r,
were comfortable in this temperament. The Ravel has a jazzy middle
section, which may have lost a little noise in the parallel triad passages, =
this
may or may not be a good thing, though I initially liked the cleaner
sound. It also made the repetitions of the theme in more remote key mo=
re
striking. As far as the Tschaikowsky Rococo went, the cellist had some=
intonation problems at first but quickly adapted to what was on the piano.</=
DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Over time Ron has been gradually convincing me of the benefits of some =
of
these mild HT. One does have to be careful about getting too aggressiv=
e if
your repertoire wanders over a period greater than a generation. I thi=
nk
my friend had a great question. Why did the composer choose certain
keys? I think the answer is more complex than I have covered here and =
I am
sure a dissertation or two have and could be written on key selection.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Andrew Remillard<BR></DIV></FONT></BODY></HTML>