“The Curious Concert Pitch Conflict” [Excerpt] 2021 by John Stuart Reid
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‘432 Hertz’ proponents take on the International Standard: ‘440 Hertz’
By John Stuart Reid
Conflicting points of view have arisen between supporters of the
international standard, 440 Hertz concert pitch, used by almost every
musician and orchestra in the world, and supporters of a new contender,
432 Hertz, used by a few thousand musicians and a handful of ensembles.
Those who have followed the ‘battle of the pitches’ so far will know that
both sides are passionate about their pitch and both sides believe their
pitch sounds best.
In addition to 440 Hertz and 432 Hertz proponents, another group is
sitting not too quietly in the wings that would like the pitch to rise to 444
Hertz, which will also be discussed.
The full history of concert pitch would easily fill a large book and is a story
with many twists and turns, but the purpose of this article is to provide a
short and accessible introduction to the history of musical pitch,
highlighting some of the key facts and offering a balanced view of the
arguments both for and against the various concert pitches.
One of the ‘key questions’ that the article seeks to answer is this: Is musical
pitch arbitrary or is there one key pitch that is natural? The answer, as you
will come to see in part 2 of the article, is more interesting than one might
have assumed.
The Curious Concert Pitch Conflict © 2021 John Stuart Reid
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Published by: Sonic Age Ltd
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