Re: Music Glossary - 1.64 Concert Pitch (2.12.2)

[Hans Aberg]

On 3 Apr 2009, at 19:20, Anthony W. Youngman wrote:

> If anybody can improve on those entries I'm all ears, otherwise can  
> somebody update the glossary? For the most part, I've just been far  
> more pedantic, but the existing bit about the trombone is, I'm  
> sorry, just plain wrong!

I think a problem with those sections is that they mix several  
different concepts in a jumble.

Concert pitch is simply what the non-transposing instruments play,  
when presented a notated note.

Then "pitch" is the perceived highness or lowness of a note. A primary  
function is frequency, but it depends also on other things like  
dynamics, scale stretch and non-linearity of the human ear.

Then one can choose a tuning frequency, or "absolute pitch". Usually  
this is middle A, and often it is set to 440 Hz.

The above does not say anything about the temperament. Orchestras can  
adjust on the fly between meantone and Pythagorean tuning, or  
something in between, sharpening some intervals. Hindemith,  
"Elementary training" mentions E12 (12-ET) as only for use on special  
instruments like pianos and as notational simplification (when  
modulating key signatures with more than six or seven flats or  
sharps), very clearly indicating that the "circle of fifths" does not  
close on other instruments, but is a spiral. Pianos are tuned with  
scale stretch in order to compensate for inharmonicity. (I measured  
some variable pitch instruments attempting to play the major scale as  
closely as possible, and there was a variation of more that 10 cents  
in frequency.)

The transposing instruments play a pitch other than notated. The  
transposition is (generally) such that the musician uses the fingering  
as on a an instrument in C. So an alto flute in G plays a note one  
fourth below the written - middle C is played as G below. If one wants  
the alto to play the middle C, it must be notated one fourth above:  
middle F.

It is traditional which instrument in an instrument group that is  
designated as being in C. For example, the first note blown over on a  
flute in C is D. The traditional C flute has a joint extension that  
allows it to play down to middle C, though some modern flutes have a  
Bb joint, admitting to play one semitone lower.

[Hope all this was right. :-)]

  Hans