Modartt user forum - Tuning for Beethoven's music

Re: Tuning for Beethoven's music

null@example.com (Dibbs) — Tue, 03 Mar 2015 10:23:43 +0000

Luc Henrion wrote:

420 seems to me very low: 415 was common for the baroque era but it soon kept going higher and higher...
I've been recorded a lot of pianoforte's (Graf, Steingraeber, Walter...) and (contrary to harpsichords) usually they are not below 428. Just my experience.

I agree. 430 is more likely for Beethoven. 420 maybe for Mozart. Players of period orchestral instruments generally use 415 for baroque pitch and 430 for "classical" pitch.

Some information on historical tuning forks here.

http://www.mozartpiano.com/articles/pitch.php

Re: Tuning for Beethoven's music

null@example.com (Luc Henrion) — Tue, 03 Mar 2015 07:53:26 +0000

420 seems to me very low: 415 was common for the baroque era but it soon kept going higher and higher...
I've been recorded a lot of pianoforte's (Graf, Steingraeber, Walter...) and (contrary to harpsichords) usually they are not below 428. Just my experience.

Re: Tuning for Beethoven's music

null@example.com (Chopin87) — Mon, 02 Mar 2015 16:54:18 +0000

Ross wrote:

Chopin87 wrote:
Young 1800 temperament
I can't find it in Pianoteq.

There is Vallotti-Young in Pianoteq. In temperament you can choose "other" and load one of the tuning preset or a scala file (.scl) which is what I do.

Re: Tuning for Beethoven's music

null@example.com (Dibbs) — Mon, 02 Mar 2015 16:38:40 +0000

Ross wrote:

Chopin87 wrote:
Young 1800 temperament
I can't find it in Pianoteq.

It might be called Vallotti ot Vallotti-Young or Young No.2.

Re: Tuning for Beethoven's music

null@example.com (Beto-Music) — Mon, 02 Mar 2015 16:01:33 +0000

Maybe Beethoven, in the most deaf years, had the unison nearly equal, to help hin detect the notes by vibration.

Just my humble guess...

Re: Tuning for Beethoven's music

null@example.com (Ross) — Mon, 02 Mar 2015 15:55:43 +0000

Chopin87 wrote:

Young 1800 temperament

I can't find it in Pianoteq.

Re: Tuning for Beethoven's music

null@example.com (Chopin87) — Mon, 02 Mar 2015 13:44:48 +0000

I would go for a tuning fork between 420 and 430 Hz and a Young 1800 temperament which seems to be less obtrusive compared to others.

Re: Tuning for Beethoven's music

null@example.com (Dibbs) — Mon, 02 Mar 2015 12:47:36 +0000

As for temperament, nobody really knows for sure how Beethoven had his piano tuned. It's a huge can of worms that academics discuss ad nauseam.

There are some suggestions here that are as good as any. http://www.kirnberger.fsnet.co.uk/TEMPS4.html

I don't know what pianoteq's "well temperament" is. If I remember correctly I think it's quite 'mild', close to equal temperament. Perhaps it's an attempt at a late 19th century tuning.

Re: Tuning for Beethoven's music

null@example.com (Luc Henrion) — Mon, 02 Mar 2015 10:27:19 +0000

I recently recorded a Conrad Graf (not the one owned lately by Beethoven but of a similar date), it was tuned at A=428 Hz. Another one was at A=430 Hz. That might be a good starting point.
Regarding the temperament, for nearly all music written after J.S.Bach, I would go for a "standard" one, but that's only an opinion...

Tuning for Beethoven's music

null@example.com (Ross) — Mon, 02 Mar 2015 10:06:16 +0000

Which temperament and pitch of A4 used in the time of Beethoven?

I guess temperament is a well temperament. But there are many well temperaments, so what mean "well temperament" in Pianoteq and is it the same as used in old days of Bach and Beethoven?