useless temperaments

I don't agree with G. Gibson either. Distinguishing notes, intervals,
melodies, and so on in many systems with smaller intervals than 19-tET is
not a problem in many contexts. Perhaps he meant something else and would
clarify.

To say 22-tET is useless suggests only that he has never used it. Another
clarification, perhaps? Many people have declared of no interest various
tunings simply because they don't fit their requirements. The requirements
aren't universal.

In his 1973 book, for example, Eric Regener dismissed all positive tunings
(P5 greater than 700 cents) because of a non-universal assumption about
"regular" tunings. This doesn't invalidate the rest of his book, because
you can take or leave his approach on that matter.

Paul Rapoport


SMTPOriginator: tuning@eartha.mills.edu
From: A440A
Subject: Chestnut help......
PostedDate: 08-12-97 01:35:56
SendTo: CN=coul1358/OU=AT/O=EZH
ReplyTo: tuning@eartha.mills.edu
$MessageStorage: 0
$UpdatedBy: CN=notesrv2/OU=Server/O=EZH,CN=coul1358/OU=AT/O=EZH,CN=Manuel op de Coul/OU=AT/O=EZH
RouteServers: CN=notesrv2/OU=Server/O=EZH,CN=notesrv1/OU=Server/O=EZH
RouteTimes: 08-12-97 01:34:04-08-12-97 01:34:05,08-12-97 01:33:53-08-12-97 01:33:54
DeliveredDate: 08-12-97 01:33:54
Categories:
$Revisions:

Received: from ns.ezh.nl ([137.174.112.59]) by notesrv2.ezh.nl (Lotus SMTP MTA SMTP v4.6 (462.2
9-3-1997)) with SMTP id C1256567.00031D00; Mon, 8 Dec 1997 01:34:00 +0100
Received: by ns.ezh.nl; (5.65v3.2/1.3/10May95) id AA09021; Mon, 8 Dec 1997 01:35:56 +0100
Date: Mon, 8 Dec 1997 01:35:56 +0100
Received: from ella.mills.edu by ns (smtpxd); id XA09025
Received: (qmail 1243 invoked from network); 7 Dec 1997 16:35:46 -0800
Received: from localhost (HELO ella.mills.edu) (127.0.0.1)
by localhost with SMTP; 7 Dec 1997 16:35:46 -0800
Message-Id: <57c03573.348b3ef8@aol.com>
Errors-To: madole@mills.edu
Reply-To: tuning@eartha.mills.edu
Originator: tuning@eartha.mills.edu
Sender: tuning@eartha.mills.edu

>19th century tuning by ear was a highly developed=0A=0Aart based=
> on aesthetic judgments for every tone, and test chords were=0A=0Aused mo=
>re than test intervals. By contrast, 20th century tuning is a=0A=0Amathe=
>matical skill."

That strikes me as a surprising conclusion. I say that for two reasons:
1. Certainly pianos have been able to be tuned to equal temperament before any
20th century technology was applied to it. It seems surprising that the
same nontechnological methodologies couldn't be applied to 17th-century
clavichords.
2. Clearly there was one very easily available tuning device by which to tune
a clavichord to equal temperament, so that it will match a lute. That
tuning reference device is the lute itself.

Bear in mind of course that I'm just speaking in terms of what seems
possible; I certainly don't by any means claim to be an expert on 17th
century clavier tuning practices.


SMTPOriginator: tuning@eartha.mills.edu
From: Steven Rezsutek
Subject: In support of 22, among others
PostedDate: 09-12-97 16:41:27
SendTo: CN=coul1358/OU=AT/O=EZH
ReplyTo: tuning@eartha.mills.edu
$MessageStorage: 0
$UpdatedBy: CN=notesrv2/OU=Server/O=EZH,CN=coul1358/OU=AT/O=EZH,CN=Manuel op de Coul/OU=AT/O=EZH
RouteServers: CN=notesrv2/OU=Server/O=EZH,CN=notesrv1/OU=Server/O=EZH
RouteTimes: 09-12-97 16:39:35-09-12-97 16:39:35,09-12-97 16:39:22-09-12-97 16:39:22
DeliveredDate: 09-12-97 16:39:22
Categories:
$Revisions:

Received: from ns.ezh.nl ([137.174.112.59]) by notesrv2.ezh.nl (Lotus SMTP MTA SMTP v4.6 (462.2
9-3-1997)) with SMTP id C1256568.0056030F; Tue, 9 Dec 1997 16:39:28 +0100
Received: by ns.ezh.nl; (5.65v3.2/1.3/10May95) id AA10582; Tue, 9 Dec 1997 16:41:27 +0100
Date: Tue, 9 Dec 1997 16:41:27 +0100
Received: from ella.mills.edu by ns (smtpxd); id XA10575
Received: (qmail 25307 invoked from network); 9 Dec 1997 07:41:23 -0800
Received: from localhost (HELO ella.mills.edu) (127.0.0.1)
by localhost with SMTP; 9 Dec 1997 07:41:23 -0800
Message-Id: <199712091538.KAA16890@doghouse.hq.nasa.gov>
Errors-To: madole@mills.edu
Reply-To: tuning@eartha.mills.edu
Originator: tuning@eartha.mills.edu
Sender: tuning@eartha.mills.edu