There was, we are told, a few years ago, a standard, so called, con structed under the direction of those who manage the Philharmonic Concerts; but we are not aware that any account was given of the method of selection, or that any experiments were instituted with a view to its perpetuation. We are also told that this mysterious stan dard was committed to the charge of one particular tradesman, and that the rest of the craft had difficulty in obtaining it. Wo have seen another promulgation of a standard tuning-fork, for the especial use of. singing-classes. The prospectus of the seller states that careful experiments have determined that the Philharmonic o (the c' of our notation) vibrates less than 512 times in a second; how much less is not stated. These now tuning-forks are asserted to have had their pitch raised to vibrate 512 times in a second ; avowedly for no other reason than that 512 is a good number for calculation, and inter mediate between those of tuning-forks now in use; and it is stated that every fork is tuned to the true standard by a " scientific process." But directors of concerts and publishers of music should be aware that no attention is ever paid by those who understand such matters to scientific secrets ; and that until a full account is published, and authenticated copies of the standard are made secure and accessible, the science of the standard-makers will rank no higher than that of the tailors who cut " on unerring geometrical principles." Mr. Woolhouse, who made experiments on this subject (` Essay on Musical Intervals,' p. 64), finds the " counnou pitch-note A " to make 421 double vibrations in a second, from whence he infers that c' gives 509 such vibrations ; but whence ho got this piteh.note ho does not state, nor whether he was aware of the existence of a so-called Philhar monic standard. As matters stand, we should recommend every one not to be led into the belief of the existence of a standard without some better account of it dm yet exists, and also in the mean time to do what he can to keep doses so as at least to prevent its rising higher than it now generally is.
There is another matter connected with the tuning-forks which requires some attention. These forks (in England, not on the Conti nent) are differently manufactured : there are c forks and A forks— that is, forks which sound c' and A. In the orchestra, which must follow the violins, the A fork is always used ; while in tuning a piano forte, harp, &c., the c fork is used. it is much to be wished that only one, the A fork, should be used. Even if the scale were perfect, it would still be desirable not to run the risk of error arising from the use of different forks ; add to which, that, without extreme care,— such care as never is takeu,—it is impossible to avoid making the temperament depend somewhat upon the note which is first tuned, and which must be that sounded by the fork. We do not certainly much believe in the temperament of an orchestra ; the characters of the instruments are various, and the disposition of most of the wind instruments to be a little out of tune, each in one or more particular parts of the scale, gives them each something so like a temperament (or disaeumemment, if the reader please) of its own, that the united body disobeys temperament to a degree which seta the slight differ ences between one system and another altogether aside. In the full
passages there is too much noise for the ear to be very nice on this point, and in the solos the leading instrument marks its own tempera ment upon the whole orchestra. But when a few instruments come together, some of which are tuned from A and others from c, the dis advantage of different temperaments may be sensibly felt. But all this must be said with much deference, for circumstances connected with the scale or its adjustment may produce very different effects on different ears.
We leave the above as it stood in the ' Penny Cycloptedia.' In 1859 the French ministry made the settlement of the musical pitch a govern ment business : the c' was settled at 522 vibrations per second, which, so much had the pitch risen even in very recent time, was a consider able abatement. Also in 1859, the Society of Arts took up the subject in England, and a committee ascertained that had actually reached 546 vibrations per second. Looking at the love of singers and concerto players for brilliancy,—whieh, we should explain to those unversed in music, means nerakiness,—there was much reason to fear that the rise was not near its end. Since 1840 the pitch had risen a semitone. For practical reasons, connected with the state of musical instruments and the want of power to enforce, the society recommended that 528 should be the number of vibrations in c'. This proposal was generally approved of, and tuning-forks (A and c, the interval being that of equal temperament) were constructed accordingly. There is then some hope that at least all further rise will be stopped; and we cordially recom mend the proposal, not without a hope that in course of time a still further fall may be found practicable.
The leading note being settled, the tuner must learn to tune that note in perfect unison with his fork, and then to tune the octaves of that note both above and below. This seems to be the most plain and straightforward part of the whole operation ; nevertheless, easily as tuners take it, and readily as they refer to one of their octaves as being as good an authority as the original note itself, we cannot help thinking that more pains than is usually taken might be well bestowed. A note and its octave, when the consonance is perfectly well tuned, should sound like one note : now considering that in a grand piano there are six strings to be tuned before an octave is ready, three unisons with the lower note and three with the upper, it is not so very easy to present that perfectly indivisible effect which a good artist ought to strive for There is a method (given in Jounses work) of tuning the twelve semi. tones of one octave-interval first, without tuning the octave of any note, by proceeding upwards by fifths and downwards by fourths until the whole is completed, and this purposely to avoid dependinE upon notes in the adjacent octave'. This mode, however, or any other must be matter of individual selection: it caunot be supposed that any one method would be best suited to all oars.