unfairness to Isacoff?

Greetings,
Paul, (I think) writes:
>> can you give an example? i feel that closed 12-tone
>> temperaments were of paramount importance in the
>> development of musical styles since the Romantic.

Gene replies:
>The h12 *mapping* is crucial, but that's not the same as 12-et in the context
>of this sort of discussion. To say that the music of Beethoven, Schubert
>et al requires equal sizes of steps goes too far.

Going too far? I think he is wandering in the tall weeds. I propose that
using 12 ET for Beethoven, Schubert, etc. strips one of the more important
aspects out of the music. You may as well try to recreate a Van Gogh
painting with black and white paint!
Isacoff's book has a major shortcoming,(to me) in that it totally misses
the temperament's effect on piano composition as the instrument developed
(1700-1850). He may be one of those that actually cannot hear the
differences unless they are as great as those between 1/4 C and ET. I still
haven't seen anything that would suggest that ET was in widespread use before
1900.
Regards,
Ed Foote RPT
Nashville, Tn.

--- In tuning@y..., a440a@a... wrote:

/tuning/topicId_35519.html#35519

> Isacoff's book has a major shortcoming,(to me) in that it
totally misses
> the temperament's effect on piano composition as the instrument
developed
> (1700-1850). He may be one of those that actually cannot hear the
> differences unless they are as great as those between 1/4 C and
ET. I still
> haven't seen anything that would suggest that ET was in widespread
use before
> 1900.
> Regards,
> Ed Foote RPT
> Nashville, Tn.

***It's true that as, supposedly, a "piano man" he says very little
about these developments...

jp