The 415=A tuning fork (about a half-step below 440=A, or very close to Ab) is standard for Baroque music, and I believe that a lot of Early Music groups use the same standard. This, along with using authentic instruments, or at least accurate replicas, is in an effort to recreate what this music actually sounded like. Since (for some reason) there is a severe shortage of CDs from those times, it's all guesswork, but a lot of musicologists have applied their best efforts to the question.

In the meantime, there has been a "upward pressure" applied by some musicians, to raise the standard pitch so instruments will sound "brighter." Why, I can't fathom. When Vivaldi or Mozart or Beethoven specified what keys they wanted their compositions to be played in, they had specific sounds in mind. And although folk musicians change keys with impunity all the time and think nothing of it (it really makes little difference what key a ballad is sung in, it's the story that counts), specific keys—and the overall sound of those keys—were important to these composers for various good reasons.

A change in standard (concert) pitch means that a lot of fixed-pitch instruments played in ensembles and orchestras have to go into the Dumpster. All the string players have to do is tune their instruments a bit higher. Oddly enough, it seems to be the string players who apply this upward pressure because they say it makes their violin or whatever sound louder and brighter. I say "oddly enough" because a good Stradivarius or a Guarnieri del Jesu sounds plenty loud and bright already. And these instruments are very rare, exceedingly expensive when and if you do find one for sale, and somewhat delicate. How far can you crank one up before it explodes in your face? Nobody who owns one wants to find out. I'm guessing here, but I think this pressure may come from owners of instruments that are good perhaps, but not great, and they want to make them sound better.

Recently there are those who want to raise the current standard of 440=A to 444=A. Why? To make their instruments "sound brighter." My response to this is "Why don't you just crank it up until the only creatures that can hear you play are bats and very small dogs!!??"

The current standard of 440=A is a good one, all well-made instruments (save for old and rare instruments) are built with that standard in mind, and I know a world-class clarinetist who would be pretty unhappy if he had to toss his current excellent instrument and shuck out a pile of money for a new one. Tune it to 440=A—and weld it!!

Don Firth