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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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