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Re: Re: A = 440 Hz OR 432 Hz?

On 07/11/2012 23:59, Ed Durbrow wrote:


Wikipedia:
Some idea of the variance in pitches can be gained by examining old
pitchpipes <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pitchpipe>, organ pipes and
other sources. For example, an English
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/England> pitchpipe from 1720^[2]
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Concert_pitch#cite_note-ARIA-1>  plays the
A above middle C at 380 Hz,
<http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4d/Tone_380Hz.ogg>
(info <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Tone_380Hz.ogg>) while the
organs <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Organ_(music)> played by Johann
Sebastian Bach <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johann_Sebastian_Bach> in
Hamburg <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hamburg>, Leipzig
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leipzig> and Weimar
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Weimar,_Germany> were pitched at A =
480 Hz,
<http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/95/Tone_480Hz.ogg>
(info <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Tone_480Hz.ogg>) a difference
of around four semitones <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Semitone>. In
other words, the A produced by the 1720 pitchpipe would have been at the
same frequency as the F on one of Bach's organs.


Indeed.
In the Helmholtz tome I have (English translation of 2nd edition), Table 1, App XX, 'Historical Pitches in Order from Lowest to Highest' lists measured a' from 373.1Hz up to 567.3Hz, more than a fifth apart!
Interestingly (or not!) there is no entry at 432HZ, the nearest being 431.7 (1826, Paris, Grand Opera fork given by Spontini) & 432.2 (1854, Lille, organ of St Andre repaired). 440Hz is listed once as the Paris opera orchestra pitch in 1829, observed by Lissajous, confirmed by Monneron for de la Fage.
So it seems the French were way ahead of the Germans in their use of A=440Hz! 

Just (groan) my 2 cents' worth - not equal to 2 Hz BTW :)

Dave