Miltary pitch and other "Broadwood" expert

[John Delacour]

At 5:31 pm -0400 1/10/06, Frank Emerson wrote:

>I have played in military bands, Army, Air Force, and National 
>Guard, off and on since 1970.  Never heard of military pitch.

You would have done if you lived in Broadwood's country:


<http://www.dolmetsch.com/musictheory27.htm>

"A letter to The Pianomaker in 1913 showed the extent to which the 
problem had escalated: despite an agreement being made in the 1890s 
to standardize pitch, military bands were a law unto themselves, 
fuelled by cynical instrument makers in league with bandmasters who 
changed pitches arbitrarily to force bandsmen to periodically renew 
their instruments. T.G. Dyson, then the President of the Music Trades 
Association of Great Britain, wrote:

So long as the military bands retain their present pitch (C537.5Hz), 
it must be recognized; but there is no reason why some eight other 
pitches should not be swept out of the way for musical purposes, 
leaving the international pitch (C517.3Hz) which is now the only 
recognized pitch in America as well as on the Continent, and the 
military band pitch as the low and high pitch of this country.

In 1896 A.J. Hipkins [of Broadwood's] wrote in his History of the 
Pianoforte that:

The French pitch, or Diapason Normal, is now generally adopted on the 
Continent and has made its way to the United States of America. In 
this country, with the exception of the Italian opera, which has been 
at the low pitch for the last 15 years, we may say the high or 
Philharmonic pitch has, from 1846 to 1895, prevailed. ... The 
Philharmonic Society, has, however, for 1896, relinquished its high 
pitch and adopted the Diapason Normal.

Different piano makers had their own pitches: from 1849-1854 
Broadwoods used A445.9Hz, escalating to A454.7Hz in 1874. Collard's 
1877 pitch was A449.9Hz, Steinway (in England) in 1879 used A454.7Hz, 
Erard used A455.3Hz and in 1877 Chappell tuned at to 455.9Hz."

JD