tuning paradigm shift and _sturm und drang_ (was:: orchestral tunings)

hi francois,

> From: "francois_laferriere" <francois.laferriere@oxymel.com>
> To: <tuning@yahoogroups.com>
> Sent: Friday, June 13, 2003 7:50 AM
> Subject: [tuning] Re: orchestral tunings
>
>
> Hello all!
>
> I remember that in the complete recording of Mozart symphonies by the
> Academy of Ancient Music directed by C. Hogwood and J.Schroder the
> early symphonies where played with harpsichord continuo but not the
> later ones. As far as I remember, in the notes, it is stated that this
> choice corresponds to and historical change in practices. It was also
> alleged that that the later symphonies where sufficiently "fleshed
> out" to not necessitate keyboard continuo. But from from Monz's
> comment
>
> > the choice of pitches/tuning was already made by Mozart
> > in his choice of notation. 55edo has an established
> > (i.e., "premeditated calculation") tuning and he chose
> > particular notes from it in writing his pieces. in
> > the first movement of his 40th Symphony, he uses 19
> > different pitches (based on the assumption that sharps
> > are different from their "enharmonically-equivalent" flats).
> > and it's fascinating to see how he limits his set of
> > pitches for certain sections of the music, then expands
> > the set at other places by adding new flats, etc.
>
> it seems that there is more than that. The use of fixed tuned continuo
> instrument in early symphonies precludes the enharmonic distinction (I
> think that splitted black keys where beginning to be uncommon by
> Mozart time??). So it seems that removing the harpsichord was
> necessary to give room to extra intonation sophistication of later
> symphonies.
>
> So we may suppose that the symphonic genre moved from a keyboard
> driven intonation to string driven intonation by the time of mozart:
> the just tuning of string quartet instrument become the most important
> intonation constraint (if the idea that sympathetic vibration of open
> strings is correct). I do not remember at which time/symphony number
> the harpsichord continuo has ceased to be used, but Monz's comment
> suggest that it was a great paradigm shift in orchestra intonation.
>
> I am wondering if at the time Haydn composed his "sturm und drang"
> symphonies (experimental music for the time) he intended performance
> with keyboard continuo. In those symphonies, Haydn experiment unusual
> key signatures.

hmmm ... i find this *very* interesting! i think you're
onto something here. i had never thought about the fact
that symphonic music used to require a harpsichord in the
ensemble.

it makes sense to me that the _sturm und drang_ style
might have provided an impetus for the expulsion of the
harpsichord from the symphony orchestra.

i'm well aware of the harpsichord/non-harpsichord
situation in Haydn's body of work, but it's been so
long since i've listened to early Mozart symphonies
that i'd forgotten that they used harpsichord as well.

when was Mozart's _sturm und drang_ period? the period
is generally considered in German literature to have
extended from about 1770-1784. Haydn's _sturm und drang_
symphonies were written in the late 1760s and early 1770s.

Mozart was a teenager during these years, and he was
composing a lot. but had he already reached the maturity
one would expect him to need to compose in _sturm und drang_
style? or was his _sturm und drang_ period later than Haydn's?

-monz