Organ matters - Organs matter!

Tuning => Questions of Temperament => Topic started by: David Pinnegar on February 03, 2011, 02:48:15 PM

Title: The 59 pence organ and the Bradley Lehman Temperament
Post by: David Pinnegar on February 03, 2011, 02:48:15 PM
:-)

I suppose that for 59p one can't expect it to be better than to support "Bach" Lehman: I am beginning to be irritated by the "Bach" trademark on the Lehman temperament - I believe that to be pushing Lehman's upside down interpretation of the Bach Squiggle as _the_ unique solution to the squiggle is academically sloppy. Other valid permutations of the squiggle are possible and particularly making use of the squiggle the right way up.

Di Veroli has pointed out the universality of Werkmeister based temperaments of which Vallotti and Vallotti Young are family members and if anyone has claim therefore to the Bach title it's Barnes which is Vallotti altered by the tuning of one note on account of the correlation of the errors from just thirds to use of thirds in Bach's work. There is also another contender for the title based on modified Werkmesietr which is similarly unfashionable nowadays.

Lehman's temperament peaks the key colour at 4 sharps, leaving remoter keys purer. This is unprecedented throughout the Good Temperaments (or Well Temperaments) and therefore an oddity. The temperament does not make the white keys pure enough at the expense of the black keys, so he misses the colour of the black keys - and whilst he notes interesting beatings in the A sharp and E sharp areas, he'd get those with any of the historically founded well temperaments.

Best wishes

David P
Title: Re: The 59 pence organ and the Bradley Lehman Temperament
Post by: KB7DQH on February 05, 2011, 12:57:32 AM
I vaguely remember something about an actual pipe organ, built by Taylor and Boody, tuned to the "lehman" temperament... I may have even referred to it in a post and provided a link... or not ???

No surprise it would show up in the "virtual world"-- imitation being the sincerest form of flattery...

Eric
KB7DQH