Topic by Jake Johnson

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  • Jake Johnson
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Topic: Some recordings using an older temperament and instruments

This is a commercial site, but it has some recordings, and pictures of the instruments, that may be of interest:

Two of the cd's -- and brief samples from them on the site-- use the Victorian temperament (not sure which variation). Some popular 19th century music and some Brahms and Debussy are played using that temperament on the samples of "The Americans" and "Music of Debussy, Brahms, Bartók, & Foster," the latter played on a 19th century English piano. (I remember loving the battered sound of the piano constantly playing in the background on Ken Burns' "The Civil War." Hearing this music, I'm almost certain that this pre-equal temperament tuning is the same. )

Also some Chopin played on an unusual piano with some of its strings made of lead on "Music of ... Chopin. "(Not sure of the tuning, or of what tuning Chopin would have actually used.)

The essays for each album are good, too. The sound quality isn't always. But hearing these pieces played on these instruments and particularly in that tuning, for me, more than compensates.

http://www.trevorstephenson.com/recordi...#americans

Don't know why I love that temperament so much. Sounds old here, but I've run across a very few recordings that make it sound good for jazz and rock on modern instruments.

Last edited by Jake Johnson (23-12-2009 06:15)

Reply by Jake Johnson

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  • Jake Johnson
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Re: Some recordings using an older temperament and instruments

Ran across this recording of a piano tuned to EBVT (equal-beating Victorian temperament), a temperament based on the late 19th centurywell temperaments. Not a sound reference file. I just like the temperament.

http://www.box.net/shared/la5ke8emru


Glenn: I think of your "O Come Emmanuel" when I hear this well temperament. I think the piece would sound good using it. I've tried to recreate it, but without much success. There's a scala file for it, but the file appears to be inaccurate--it sets the temperament on middle C, instead of F, as the original was set, and just doesn't sound the same at all, to me, even if I tune it from the F.

The link is part of a discussion over at http://www.pianoworld.com/forum/ubbthre...337/1.html

(It's the only link to an example of the temperament in the thread. Just posting the link to the thread for reference.)

Last edited by Jake Johnson (05-02-2010 23:51)