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<font size=3>Ed,<br>
I appreciated your scholarly approach to the subject of HT's.<br>
It is no wonder why you were invited to instruct classes, your<br>
demeanor and positive attitude say much for your abilities.<br>
We all know a zealot in this field who is single-handedly<br>
undermining the crusade.<br>
<br>
It's amazing how someone can lose sight of a "win" in
Providence<br>
for a tuning scheme in the "Festival of Temperaments". It
is sad<br>
to witness this decay of someone's (self)respect.<br>
<br>
I have a question, this so-called EB Vic is not an actual "old
time"<br>
temperament but one of contemporary contrivance, yes(?) so could it<br>
not also be called ET (?) meaning Experimental Tuning (??) or
AT<br>
Alternative Tuning ?<br>
<br>
I fail to see where a modern alternative can be placed with time<br>
honored approaches. And how a wild card (read: loose cannon)<br>
is allowed such verbose allegations.<br>
<br>
But then again, we all know someone who is the<br>
East end of a West bound horse.<br>
<br>
Jon Page<br>
<br>
<br>
At 08:15 PM 6/2/99 -0400, you wrote:<br>
> Greetings all, <br>
>-> with snips (hopefully "non-context-changing-but-for
brevity-sake" snips)<br>
>Bill writes<br>
>>the Balwin Recital in 1995 too.<br>
><br>
> sigh <br>
><big, eye-rolling,groping for a beer, head-shaking, mouth-gaping
SIGH!)<br>
><br>
> Bill's post is a combination of temperament
crusade and and personal <br>
>attack on Gina Carter. I will only respond to the techincal
side of this, as <br>
>Gina, though never met, has always been a delightful correspondant
with me, <br>
>and more to the point, is accepted and respected by a mutual friend
that I <br>
>think a lot of, so I shall let the lady swing her own sword, and
would expect <br>
<font size=3>>her to swing it forcefully and freely when so openly
attacked. (you go <br>
>girl..) <br>
><br>
>>Yes, the temperament used on that occasion was the boldest and
strongest<br>
>>yet, the 1/7 Comma Meantone. <br>
><br>
> I fail to see the reasoning that would
couple so strong temperament with <br>
>such a refined piece of modulatory art as the Waldstein. <br>
><br>
>>It had many people very interested. So much so,<br>
>>that people were gathering all around the piano, testing and
listening<br>
>>to intervals and asking questions afterwards. The great
majority of the <br>
>>audience was very impressed. <br>
><br>
> I must indignantly disagree. People will gather around a
car wreck or a <br>
>house fire, please don't think that is an automatic blessing.
<br>
> I heard that recital, and it was the worst sounding Waldstein
that I have <br>
>memory of hearing. It was not helped that it was an amatuerish
performance by <br>
>the young lady, I think she was in way over her head. <br>
> <x-tab> </x-tab>I had been
listening to Ludwig's stuff on a great many tunings, and <br>
>noticed in the Baldwin performance a lack of the refinement I have
come to <br>
>expect from him. Even having this obtuse obsession for
tonality as I do, I <br>
>thought there were numerous places where there was way too much
"salt". <br>
>(Beginning in measure 35!)
<x-tab> </x-tab>The huge clashes
of dissonance felt <br>
>like they were in the wrong places. This tuning may have worked
on a <br>
>fortepiano in front of an gallery of experienced early 19th century
ears, but <br>
>I thought it was the wrong tuning for that instrument, composition,
and <br>
>audience. <br>
><br>
>>Yet, as you might expect, what might please,<br>
>>interest and titillate most listeners sounded objectionable to a
few, a<br>
>>very few.<br>
><br>
> Half the people that I heard talk about that performance
didn't notice <br>
>anything different, and the other half thought it sounded out of
tune. I <br>
>didn't think it was well received. That is not a scientific
poll, just what <br>
>I remember getting in the way of feedback. <br>
> <br>
>>The fact is that there will be no Historical Temperament
performance at<br>
>>the Convention this year because there are a few people within
the <br>
>organization. <br>
><br>
> Puhleeeeze! There will be performances on a
non-ET tuning, Thursday and <br>
>Sunday. All you have to do is put up with me talking in between
them. (No, <br>
>I am not going to identify the temperament, that will be done in
class, by <br>
>attendees.......) <br>
> If some factory rep hears it, and likes the sound,(many of those
people have <br>
>good ears and refined musical tastes too!), it may find its way
onstage, you <br>
<font size=3>>never know. <br>
> <br>
>>List, it is time to get real about this stuff. <snip>
It is not a place for <br>
>people to assert their desire for power and control over
others.<br>
><br>
> To get real? I say way too much color was
used in a very scrutinized <br>
>venue, and people squawked. For the tuner to respond by blaming
political <br>
>machinations is to sidestep responsibility for the amount of
tempering done. <br>
>This is a no-no in my book. If there is a negative reaction to
one's <br>
>tempering, then accept that as evidence of having missed the mark,
and <br>
>resolve to hit closer to home next time. That will allow the
door to remain <br>
>open, rather than losing options for all the wrong reasons.
<br>
> The acceptance of something new is the result of
carefully matching the <br>
>power(temperament) to the impedance (audience). Doing this is a
learned <br>
>skill, and with my classes in K.C. I hope to be of some assistance to
those <br>
>that would like to add it to their expertise. Clouding the
issue with <br>
>perceived personal vendettas and paranoia is counterproductive to
progress <br>
>and unpleasant as all hell to read in my email. <br>
>Regards, <br>
>Ed Foote <br>
> <br>
>( If it is of any interest, Bob Seger just finished a week-long
recording <br>
>project here, on a Victorian tuning after hearing both it and
ET <br>
>side-by-side. I could have had a stronger tuning there, but the
risk of it <br>
>being rejected was too high,(IMHO) so I took the win with lower odds.
I <br>
>really think that temperament progress in the current music world is
made one <br>
>small step at a time, not by big jarring changes.) <br>
> <br>
> </font></html>