AW.: Re: Re: Response to Dave Hill on JI and European compost

<< > >that "consistency of interval size ... is a feature of the best
> >western European singers." >>

This is a highly contextual matter. If you're singing opera or _Lieder_,
that is with instrumental accompaniment, then consistency is called for. For
choral singers it is flexibility of intonation (i.e. getting the melodic
intervals correct so that the harmony does not need to be corrected, and,
when that fails, being able to correct the harmonic intonation in real time)
that is valued.

----------
>From: DWolf77309@cs.com
>To: tuning@onelist.com
>Subject: AW.: Re: [tuning] Re: Response to Dave Hill on JI and European compost
>Date: Thu, Dec 16, 1999, 2:26 PM
>

> From: DWolf77309@cs.com
>
> << > >that "consistency of interval size ... is a feature of the best
> > >western European singers." >>
>
> This is a highly contextual matter. If you're singing opera or _Lieder_,
> that is with instrumental accompaniment, then consistency is called for. For
> choral singers it is flexibility of intonation (i.e. getting the melodic
> intervals correct so that the harmony does not need to be corrected, and,
> when that fails, being able to correct the harmonic intonation in real time)
> that is valued.

I have found that singers, both in solo and ensemble, can tune "flexibly"
with a tempered-tuned accompaniment when the instrument is one that decays.
In other words, a piano of guitar need not dominant vocal tuning just so it
is not duplicating the exact pitches being sung. The sustained sounds of the
singers are more audible than the "vanishing" sound of notes played the
instrument.

On the other hand, when singing with an organ it is probably better to tune
to the instrument, particularly when performing sustained music, a Bach
chorale for example. The bottom line is practicality.

Gerald Eskelin