Interesting notes on "Old Pitch" in concertinas

[Matt Heumann]

I stumbled across this 1930 Lachenal Price list that adds new complexity to the concept of Old Pitch :

 

(Collected by Chris Algar) on Concertina.com -Posted 07 March 2005.

 

"Lachenal & Co. list of models and prices for English, Duet, and Anglo concertinas. Dated c. 1930 by internal evidence".

In the price list, Lachenal offers the following tunings:

Old Philharmonic...........C=540 vibrations

Society of Arts..............C=530         "

New Philharmonic.........C=532         "

Normal............................C=517-520 "

"Customers are requested to kindly to state pitch required when ordering"

 

Thanks to Chris for his amazing contributions to such history!

[David Barnert]

To put it in perspective, in modern equal temperament, where A = 440, C = 523.25...

 

Here’s the math: A semitone = 12th root of 2, a minor 3rd (A-C) is three semitones, or that cubed, or 4th root of 2 = 1.189... . That x 440 = 523.25... .

[Stephen Chambers]

10 hours ago, Matthew Heumann said:

I stumbled across this 1930 Lachenal Price list that adds new complexity to the concept of Old Pitch :

 

(Collected by Chris Algar) on Concertina.com -Posted 07 March 2005.

 

"Lachenal & Co. list of models and prices for English, Duet, and Anglo concertinas. Dated c. 1930 by internal evidence".

In the price list, Lachenal offers the following tunings:

Old Philharmonic...........C=540 vibrations

Society of Arts..............C=530         "

New Philharmonic.........C=532         "

Normal............................C=517-520 "

"Customers are requested to kindly to state pitch required when ordering"

 

Thanks to Chris for his amazing contributions to such history!

 

Oh, there's nothing new about this complexity, it's come out quite often, over the years, and I've trotted out my 1936 catalogue page of the six pitches that tuning forks were being made in at that time. The last time I did so was only one month ago, on 14th March:

 

Quote

 

Edited April 12, 2024 by Stephen Chambers

[d.elliott]

The 'descendant company ' that made the tuning forks is still in existence in Sheffield. 

[wes williams]

23 hours ago, Stephen Chambers said:

 

Oh, there's nothing new about this complexity, it's come out quite often, over the years, and I've trotted out my 1936 catalogue page of the six pitches that tuning forks were being made in at that time. The last time I did so was only one month ago, on 14th March

And on the same day on the same thread, I provided a link to a page I put up on this site 23 years ago 🧐 -

https://web.archive.org/web/20110514131052/www.concertina.net/ww_pitch.html