source file: mills2.txt Date: Fri, 20 Jun 1997 17:04:51 +0200 Subject: Re: Temperaments/tyros/neophytes From: Joseph Downing I have noticed people talking about which temperaments are used by singers and instrumentalists. I think that there is a misconception. Temperaments are only necessary on those instruments which are tuned prior to playing. Those instruments which are tuned AS they are played will always search for beatless intervals (or as close as time and skill allow.) The brass sections in any major orchestra are very good at finding just major thirds, for instance. You'll find that the gorgeous full sound of a low brass section usually occurs when the tuning is as close to just as the skill of the performers allows. Likewise, I don't know of any choir that could conscientiously sing in 'werckmeister III' or 'Vallotti.' They simply listen to each other, and find as beatless a sound as they can get. String players tune to PERFECT fifths, rather than tempered fifths, with one exception: some cellists (and fewer violists) will tune to tempered fifths in chamber music featuring a piano. This is because their low C string is three fifths away from their tuning note of A, and the difference between the C which is three fifths lower than A, and the tempered C is quite noticeable. (Schoenberg did ask that his string players tune to tempered fifths, but I don't know anyone who does this now.) I reiterate: Tempering is only necessary for those instruments which are tuned prior to playing (keyboards,fretted instruments.) Joe Downing, Chair, Composition/Theory Syracuse University School of Music Received: from ns.ezh.nl [137.174.112.59] by vbv40.ezh.nl with SMTP-OpenVMS via TCP/IP; Fri, 20 Jun 1997 19:00 +0200 Received: by ns.ezh.nl; (5.65v3.2/1.3/10May95) id AA01467; Fri, 7 Feb 1997 00:59:04 +0100 Date: Fri, 7 Feb 1997 00:59:04 +0100 From: Message-Id: <9702062359.AA01467@ns.ezh.nl> Received: from ella.mills.edu by ns (smtpxd); id XA00357 Apparently-To: Received: (qmail 24214 invoked from network); 20 Jun 1997 16:54:38 -0000 Message-Id: <970620124726_845562056@emout16.mail.aol.com> Errors-To: madole@mills.edu Reply-To: tuning@eartha.mills.edu Originator: tuning@eartha.mills.edu Sender: tuning@eartha.mills.edu