[78-L] Concert pitch (was: no subject)

[Chris Zwarg]

At 07:29 16.10.2008, you wrote:
>----- Original Message ----- 
>From: "Michael Biel" <mbiel at mbiel.com>
>>> FWIW, the US Army adopted the 440Hz A in 1917...
>>> Glen Richards
>> Didn't the US Army have more important things to worry about in 1917
>> than concert A pitch???
>> 

The change might have *everything* to do with troops (and their bands) being supplied with new equipment (including new instruments) in preparation for the War! After all, a bandmaster cannot decide *at will* at which pitch his band should play, as most wind instruments can only be detuned to a rather small degree. Allegedly the original reason for the high marching band pitch was that tubas and trombones are quite a bit smaller and easier to carry if built to A=451, as opposed to the very low "concert" pitches around A=420 still current in the early 1800's. Quite likely, at a time when something like A=438 to 440 became more and more accepted as a *worldwide* standard, specially built high-pitched instruments would have been more expensive, and possibly harder to get in quantity, than standard concert models, so the Army bands simply decided to switch over to the new standard pitch as well. 

Chris Zwarg