Re: [F_MINOR] Perceived properties of keys

Hello,

I find this topic completely fascinating and have been extremely interested in the subject for years, but never had the time to do much research. How exactly is a piano tuned in well-temperament? And why was the change from well to equal temperament effected? Thanks in advance!

Xin Hui, Singapore

>From: Keith Jones

>Reply-To: Keith Jones

>To: F_MINOR@EMAIL.RUTGERS.EDU

>Subject: Re: [F_MINOR] Perceived properties of keys

>Date: Mon, 1 Mar 2004 22:21:55 -0800

>Well, I guess I'll chime in here. This is a subject of some interest

>to me,

>as I am a professional piano tuner. At least for me there is no key

>color

>perceivable on a piano tuned in equal temperament. Every interval is

>the

>same, all the half steps are exactly the same size, all the thirds

>are

>exactly the same size, etc. I think it may be possible that people

>with

>perfect pitch might experience something like key color in equal

>temperament, but I have no experience with perfect pitch, so I'm not

>sure.

>I do know that if you tune a piano in an unequal temperament

>(sometimes

>called well-temperament, or historic temperament) there can be a

>great

>difference between keys, and it is quite interesting to play music

>in these

>temperaments. I believe that all composers from before about 1900

>would

>have been influenced by well-temperament, and would be quite aware

>of the

>differences in key color, especially if they were keyboardists, such

>as

>Bach, Beethoven, Haydn, Handel, Mozart, Schumann, Schubert, Chopin,

>etc.

>The thing that is most notable in the different temperaments is the

>width

>of the thirds. A major third in equal temperament is 13.7 cents

>sharp. (100

>cents = a half step). There are various well temperaments in which

>you can

>have some very pure sounding thirds, but then you have to pay for

>this by

>having some very out of tune thirds in the more remote keys. There

>are some

>mild well temperaments in which you can quite easily play in all the

>keys,

>usually the keys of C, F and G are quite pure sounding, and the keys

>with

>lots of sharps or flats get quite tense sounding. This can make for

>some

>interesting effects when modulating, it may even be a big reason for

>choosing certain keys. Of course, once you start talking about other

>instruments there are all sorts of other things to take into account

>when

>listening for key color.

>Here is a collection of descriptions of keys from various writings

>from the

>past (quoted from a book by Rita Steblin):

>C Major:

> "Completely pure" (Schubart, 1784)

> "Cheerful and pure" (Knecht, 1792)

> "State of nature, virginal chastity and purity, lovely innocence

>of

>youth" (Heinse, 1795)

> "Naturalness and nobility" (Gervasoni, 1812)

> "Cheerful and pure; innocence and simplicity" (Weikert, 1827)

> "Simple, unadorned" (Schumann, 1835)

> "Concerning the physical _expression_ of this key, it appears to

>be

>completely pure" (Schilling, 1835)

>C-sharp minor:

> "Penitential lamentation, intimate conversation with God"

>(Schubart, 1784)

> "Despair" (Knecht, 1792; Schrader, 1827; Weikert, 1827; Ebhardt,

>1830)

>D major:

> "Gay things and grandeur" (Rousseau, 1691)

> "Joyful and very militant" (Charpentier, 1692)

> "Pleasant, joyful, bright, songs of victory" (Masson, 1697)

> "Songs of mirth and rejoicing; grandeur and magnificence"

>(Rameau, 1722)

> "Martial ardour" (Hawkins, 1776)

> "The key of triumph, of Hallelujahs, of war-cries, of

>victory-rejoicing" (Gathy, 1835)

>E-flat minor:

> "Horrible, frightful" (Charpentier, 1692)

> "Feelings of the anxiety of the soul's deepest distress, of

>brooding

>despair, of blackest depression, of the most gloomy condition of the

>soul.

>Every fear, every hesitation of the shuddering heart, breathes out

>of

>horrible E-flat minor. If ghosts could speak, their speech would

>approximate this key" (Schubart, 1784)

>E major:

> "Uplifting" (Junker, 1777)

> "Bright" (Gretry, 1797)

>B-flat minor:

> "Gloomy and terrible" (Charpentier, 1692)

> "Mournful songs" (Rameau, 1722)

> "Preparation for suicide sounds in this key" (Schubart, 1784)

>Unfortunately there are no citations for the key of f-minor in this

>source.

>But I bet if you play a few pieces from the 1700's to about 1900,

>you'll

>get the idea. I like the f-minor prelude in book one of Bach's well

>tempered clavier.

>This is a very simplistic description of a very complex and

>contentious

>subject, but I thought you all might enjoy some of the descriptions

>of the

>keys.

>At 07:24 PM 2/29/2004 +0200, you wrote:

>>To second Kate's request - a fascinating subject, about which lots

>>of

>>confusing (to me, an amateur musician) stuff has been written.

>>Cld one of the musical boffins on this list give us a comprehensive

>>reply

>>- gollys, it wld be appreciated! Please include if you wld be so

>>kind a

>>listing of those composers who have definitively stated key x means

>>colour/emotion/whatever y.....

>>Cordialement

>>Danielle

>>Danielle Law-Jackson

>>Primary address: Omdraaisvlei Farm

>>P O Box 494 Prieska 8940 No. Cape, So. Africa

>>Telephone & Facsimile: +27 (0) 53 35 3333 4

>>E-mail: danielle@prieska.co.za

>>Cellular: 083 46 1326 7

>>Or:

>>Rhodes University: Department of Education

>>P O Box 94 Grahamstown 6140 E Cape, So. Africa

>>E-mail: D.Law-Jackson@ru.ac.za

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