Re: Concert Pitch (a second try)

[demery]

On Mon, Apr 6, 2009, "Anthony W. Youngman"
<address@hidden> said:

> Sounds good.

one down? !!!


> I think it's your use of "informally adopted" that jars - it implies 
> that they've ignored the Standard, when the standard didn't even exist 
> at the time.

didnt have any one particular standard in mind; when one has church bells
ringing hours, and no better standard, one might 'infomrally' use em for a
reference, lord only knows how it was done in days of yore; the receipt of
a chest of Bassano recorders might well establish a new standard for the
players using them (no adjusting them, no joints)  whatever strings played
with that consort had to conform.

There have been regional standards coexisting, the french and the austrian
have been mentioned.  I simply wanted to imply that it doesnt take an act
of legislation, a papal bull, or an internatinoal conference to establish
a conventional pitch reference.



> What about those families (ie pretty much ALL the brass instruments) 
> that don't have a member at concert pitch!

Perhaps the scribes got tired of writing out parts for them?

> Interestingly, nearly all transposing instruments are fairly "new" in 
> their modern form. 

The 13 key clarinet is contemporary with Beethoven as I recall, the
too-damn-many keyed clarinet is somewhat later.  In between we have cases
which provided for more changes of body than one sees instruments in the
orchestra; each with a need for transposed part music.

> I suspect the reason the trombone is such a funny 
> instrument in that sense is that it is an old instrument (which is why 
> it's written at concert pitch)

some professional Sackbut players were probably musically illiterate,
notation being such a mystery then, I know I find Gafurius et all totally
baffling in places (proportions described using roman mathematics is
indeed mysterious).  Others claim that it was common practice to read
waits music up a fourth or down a fifth as suited the instruments
available.  i know I have sometimes had to do the like in informal
recorder consorts when the forces did not matchup well to the music
available.


> The word "tympani" is plural :-) 

so it is.

-- 
Dana Emery