Books › A descriptive catalogue of the musical instruments recently exhibited at the Royal Military Exhibition, London, 1890 …, 1891 › scan 262
Scan 262
A descriptive catalogue of the musical instruments recently exhibited at the Royal Military Exhibition, London, 1890 …, 1891
8 lines. Read by computer on 1 October 2026. Printed page 242. See the scan on archive.org.
1closely together in pitch than a similar collection of instruments of modern manufacture would be, brought together from different countries in Europe, including Great Britain.
3This notable difference is due to the rise of pitch during this century, which has been checked in some countries, and has remained practically unchecked in others. The chief cause of this change is thus summarized by Mr. Ellis:—"The rise in pitch began at the great Congress of Vienna, 1814, when the Emperor of Russia presented new and sharper wind instruments to an Austrian regiment of which he was Colonel. The band of this regiment became noted for the brilliancy of its tones. In 1820 another Austrian regiment received even sharper instruments, and as the theatres were greatly dependent upon the bands of the home regiments, they were obliged to adopt their pitch. Gradually at Vienna pitch rose from a' 421.6 (Mozart's pitch) to a' 456.1, that is, 136 cents (or hundredths of an equal-tempered semi-tone), or nearly three-quarters of a tone. The mania spread throughout Europe, but at very different rates. The pitch reached a' 448 at the Paris Opera in 1858, and the musical world took fright."
5The commission appointed by the Emperor of the French determined on a' 435, and this theoretical standard was very closely obtained, for the mean of the best measurements of the Diapason Normal, as actually made in 1859, is 435.4 at 15° C. or 59° F. This pitch, although about a quarter of a tone flatter than the Paris opera pitch of 448, was not a novelty, but was fairly in agreement with many pitches in use in Europe at the time. It was a compromise between the old mean European pitch and modern developments, and as a compromise it had been anticipated by Sir Geo. Smart in England, as will presently be shown.
7In this country the rise from the Philharmonic pitch of 423.7, as adopted by Sir Geo. Smart in 1813, to the present pitch of 452.5, is marked by a second fixing by Sir Geo. Smart about the year 1828, when c'' 518 was agreed upon as a standard, giving in mean-tone temperament (the temperament used at the time) a' 433, or in equal temperament a' 435.4, exactly French pitch; this c'' 518 fork is now in the possession of Mr. A. J. Hipkins. Sir Geo. Smart's own fork of this period is an a' 433.2. A second re-fixing of the Philharmonic
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