Paxmaha wrote
The history of standard tuning is a long and complex one, more so than
one would think at first glance. There are actual histories of tuning and
temperament, quite specialized reading, but not all that dull, surprisingly. I
don't know that it was the Versailles treaty, but there was definitely an
international agreement that standardized A=440hz as standard. For several various
reasons, both traditional and contemporary, pitch has almost uniformly risen to
442, then 443, and today it can be as high as A=446 in some orchestras.
Higher string tensions on modern violins, the desire for more overall "brightness"
in the tone, are all supporting reasons for the rise in pitch.
***************
According to a secret memo recently leaked to the Washington Post, the U. S.
Government has decided to withdraw from the Versailles Tuning Treaty, thus
privatizing concert pitch in this country. According to Anthony Werkmeister VI,
the Secretary of the Department of Intonation, the government's heavy-handed
control of tuning under the previous administration has lead to a dangerous
situation which can only be remedied by a restoration of pitch to market forces.
Whether this decision will reduce the number of fires that have been plaguing
US orchestras during the last several years, as Werkmeister claims, remains
to be seen.
Gotta go,
Cabbage
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