Books › A descriptive catalogue of the musical instruments recently exhibited at the Royal Military Exhibition, London, 1890 …, 1891 › scan 263
Scan 263
A descriptive catalogue of the musical instruments recently exhibited at the Royal Military Exhibition, London, 1890 …, 1891
6 lines. Read by computer on 1 October 2026. Printed page 243. See the scan on archive.org.
1pitch took place under Sir Michael Costa; the mean pitch of the band from 1846 to 1854 having been a' 452.5, as recorded by Mr. Hipkins. It has so remained to the present time, so that, although sometimes slightly exceeded, it has been practically the same for about forty-four years—possibly longer, for it is probable that the pitch under Sir Michael Costa was due not to the deliberate introduction of a higher standard, but merely to the recognition of a gradual advance from the time of Sir Geo. Smart. Mr. R. S. Rockstro has in his possession a fork a' 447.1 tuned in the orchestra of the Philharmonic Society in 1845, and this seems to point to a gradual rise.
3The importance of the Philharmonic pitch in connection with wind instruments generally, arises from the fact that, according to the Queen's Regulations, it is the pitch to be observed in army bands. The wording of the regulation is: "In order to ensure uniformity throughout the regimental bands of the service, the instruments are to be of the same pitch as that adopted by the Philharmonic Society." This pitch has, therefore, a quasi-official character, and the Queen's Regulation respecting it is the nearest approach to anything like an official or Government recognition or declaration of a standard of pitch in this country. With a view to keeping this standard, and checking further rise of pitch, Colonel Shaw-Hellier, the commandant of the Royal Military School of Music, early in last year (1890) requested Mr. Hipkins to verify the standard b'b fork at Kneller Hall, and in this examination the writer assisted Mr. Hipkins. To keep to a whole number for c'', this note was taken as 538, giving in equal temperament b'b 479.3 and a' 452.4 at the medium temperature of 60° Fah. This is about two-thirds of a semi-tone higher than the French Diapason Normal. The old drum and fife band pitch, which is still in use in a few army drum and fife bands, agrees, however, very closely with the Diapason Normal; it is probably a survival of Sir Geo. Smart's Philharmonic pitch of 1828. As this pitch was very largely in use throughout the army, the fact is worth noting, especially as it appears to have escaped the notice of Mr. Ellis in his valuable "History."
5It is the opinion of some authorities that inasmuch as a practically constant pitch has been preserved by the Philharmonic Society for
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