Some long-term subscribers to this list have expressed a certainly reasonable inkling of desire that long answered questions not be rehashed, and that we focus on harpsichords please, and not drift off into their possible tuning temperaments.



Please allow me to share this personal reflection on the immense value of this listserv and express my thanks for allowing such digressions from the core topic. And, to argue for value in a bit of rehashing.



I was first aware of the need for temperament in 1970, when a friend with perfect pitch tried to tune his electronic keyboard and became frustrated to discover that the circle of fifths does not close. In a culture where God was presented as perfection, how can this be?



It was through building a harpsichord kit ten years later that I became aware of the higher beauty of <anything> other than equal temperament, for instruments rich in harmonics. These instruments are not their most lovely without full attention to the many ways they can be tuned. It isn't a harpsichord without these options presented.



In a city with a high level of early music interest, I find myself educating ensembles how they can enjoy the actual interval of a third. They are so afraid and uncertain. Even I wonder, "how can I play Montiverdi Vespers in ¼ comma when it has a few D# in the midst of all the Eb?" It was on this list the authoritative answer was given "don't play it - let someone else make it major". Well hello, how obvious is that? Don't you think someone who has been reading figures for 30 years would know better than to worry about playing every written thing? Actually, not. The fear and uncertainty thing.



Now, to my Frescobaldi post and the ensuing delightful dialog. What this exchange makes wonderfully clear is that there are a range of possibilities one should explore, all the way to the choice of appropriate dessert while shifting some sharps to flats on my harpsichord with a mere 12 keys per octave. There is no one certain "right" answer.



Frescobaldi might have done any number of things. But he would have had little need to worry about tradition, about doing the "right" thing. The sound and expression would have been paramount. Innovation, valued.



With the benefit of this list, I feel similarly empowered to be musical, with a diversity of ideas in mind. To try out any number of ideas. With confidence.



Thank you for this.



Bruce Jacobs

Saint Paul

















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