Music Trade Review -- © mbsi.org, arcade-museum.com -- digitized with support from namm.org
42
THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW
FEBRUARY 20,
1926
The Technical Department—(Continued from page 41)
instruments of a higher pitch than the standard,
because they wanted greater brilliancy or to
stand out from their fellows in band and or-
chestra. Again, violinists were always asking
for higher pitch because they too thought that
their fiddles could thus be made to sound more
brilliant. And lastly, the constant though not
very large stream of cheap foreign instruments
was composed always of high-pitch stock, main-
ly because the German makers refused to adopt
the French pitch which the American piano men
had adopted. These, of course, were only some
of the causes, and undoubtedly the lack of any
united effort among the trades concerned was
at the bottom most to blame. There was then
no way in fact of bringing to a head the desires
of the trade, indeed no way of getting those
desires expressed. The protests, if any were
made, were, of course, in these circumstances,
confused, feeble and unavailing. The standard
pitch was violated first by one and then by an-
other maker, who felt that he could not resist
the pressure. So it came about in due course
that the orchestras were one day all found to
be using a pitch notably higher than 435 A.
Concert grand pianos then had to be tuned at
this higher pitch—which was very close in gen-
eral to the new 440 standard—and in due time
this simply meant that all pianos were being
brought to the same level. The organ-builders,
too, felt the pressure and had to trim their
course accordingly.
Organ-builders had to re-design their organs,
piano-makers to re-calculate their stresses and
strains. Band instrument men had to re-design
everything, as one by one they fell into line.
To them the task was not only difficult but
terribly expensive, and it is perfectly certain
that no one of them wishes to have before him
the same prospect again.
In a word, since 1892 the music trades have
been constantly haunted by this spectre. They
have tried to cajole it, threaten it, defy it; yet
it lias refused to down. Finally they have had
to capitulate at no matter what cost of time,
labor and money.
And now, in consequence, the associations
which represent these instrument-making indus-
tries, have co-operated heartily in the formation
and working of the committee which last year
investigated the whole question anew. The con-
clusions of this committee were unanimous, and
they found that the 440 pitch or something very
close to it had become, in effect, within the
last thirty years the standard of the United
States, and for that matter the standard of a
good part of the civilized world. They felt that
they could do no less than set the seal of ap-
proval upon what was already the practice of
virtually all the American makers of brass in-
struments, wood instruments and organs, and
of the great majority of the makes of pianos
too.
The Real Difficulty
But they also recognized that the real diffi-
culty is not in the establishment of a pitch, but
in anchoring that pitch at the fixed point se-
lected. It is one thing to say the trades shall
do this or that. It is another thing to get
their consent and still another thing to keep
them at a level of interest and enthusiasm suf-
ficiently high to ensure their maintaining
any standard they do accept. And precisely
here was what the committee recognized as the
point of difficulty. How to get the manufac-
turers of musical instruments to stand together,
to resist any pressure in favor of still further
change, and to keep their own practice strictly
FAUST SCHOOL
OF TUNING
Standard of America
Alumni of 2000
PU*« Tnnuc, Pipe ««J Raad 0r»»»
k Free.
F
and PUrcr Pi»oo. Tear Book
2 7 - 2 9 Gainiboro Street
BOSTON, MASS.
up to the standards they have set—these were
and are the big questions.
The suggestions made were excellent so far
as they went. The principal one was that each
individual or firm belonging to the trade asso-
ciations represented in the Music Industries
Chamber of Commerce should be asked to sign
a pledge not to make any change in the ac-
cepted standard pitch of A 440 for at least ten
years, and then only after obtaining the consent
of the other assenting manufacturers. This
pledge has been circulated, and most of the men
affected have had no hesitation in signing it.
So far so good; but this is not all. I have
hardly to say, I suppose, that the consequences
of another slow process of upward creeping will
be even more disastrous in the future than simi-
lar processes have been in the past. For one
thing, the American piano as at present de-
signed and constructed will not sound well or
stand well in tune at a pitch higher than 440.
In the second place the band instrument indus-
try within the last ten years has been compelled
to make the change once from 435 to 440 and
certainly does not want to go up again ten
years from now, at still greater expense, to 445.
Thirdly, the organ men do not want another
change, for that means more re-designing, with-
out the slightest additional return otherwise.
Fourthly, the singers do not want a higher
pitch. Many of them would prefer 435 as it is.
And the singers constitute a powerful body in
the aggregate.
Keep the Pledge!
Need I say more? Every consideration of in-
terest and advantage urges the music industries,
especially the piano men, who are the worst sin-
ners, to resolve strongly that they will really
make an attempt to carry out the letter and the
spirit of the pledge. I urge every piano super-
intendent, every piano manufacturer, every sup-
ply man and every tuner to keep these facts in
mind, to insist upon carrying out the provisions
(if the pitch committee's report, and, above all,
to see that the forks they use are correct in the
first place and periodically re-rated. Only by
dint of just so much care and labor as this shall
we be able to maintain our standard. We sim-
ply cannot afford to have another upset in a
few years; and it is the clear interest as well as
the clear duty of every man to see that nothing
done by him shall contribute to the coming of
such an obvious disaster.
Correspondence
is solicited and may be sent to William Braid
White, 5149 Agatite avenue, Chicago.
Wool Auctions at an End
The first series of the Colonial wool auctions
in London have been closed, with the best tone
of the series prevailing at the close. With-
drawals amounted to about 41,000 bales out of
a total offering of just under 190,000 bales.
America bought about 8,000 bales, while Eng-
land took something over 70,000 bales and the
Continent something over 60,000 bales. Prices
had recovered nearly all ground lost since the
opening.
Leather Specially
Tanned for Player*
Pianos and Organs
Also Chamois
Sheepskins, Indias
and Skivers
A Specialty of
Pnmimmtic mnd
P*IMA Shin
L—lkw
T.L.LUTKINSInc
4 0 SPRUCE ST.. NEW YORH.N.Y.
TUNERS
AND
REPAIRERS
Our new catalogue of piano and
Player Hardware, Felts and
Tools is now ready. If you
haven't received your copy
please let us know.
Hammacher, Schlemmer & Co.
New York, Since 1848
4th Ave. and 13th St.