Much of this is folklore.  Read "The Story of A" by I forget which explores 
tis history in great detail.

Steve Smolian

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Malcolm Smith" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Wednesday, June 24, 2009 11:26 AM
Subject: Re: [ARSCLIST] Recording Speed


> In the late nineteenth century Adlina Patti threatened to go on  strike in 
> London if tuning to 465 was continued at the Opera house!  Perhaps this 
> was the first attempt to standardize pitch for singers.  She was the one 
> singer there at the time who had the clout to do  this. Early records and 
> accounts would suggest that the effort only  worked in London. There are 
> references, if my memory serves to 421  1/2 in France and I've also read 
> complaints that the orchestra in  Vienna's opera house was especially 
> sharp. We've all witnessed the  first violin in orchestras providing a 
> pitch for the tuning of the  string section. Simply pitching early 
> recordings to 440 doesn't  always work though it's a place to start. The 
> other problem is that  early records often are not a constant speed from 
> beginning to end. I  won't do more than suggest it but the way organs were 
> tuned brings up  a whole different aspect of this subject.
>
> Malcolm Smith.
>
> On Jun 23, 2009, at 2:04 PM, Steven Smolian wrote:
>
>> Usually A=440.  From 1916 on, certainly 440 in the US if newer  musical 
>> instruments were used. The Navy recognized 440 that year,  followed by 
>> the National Bureau of Standards then or the year  following- I forget 
>> which. This may have been abetted by our  impending entry into WWI. 
>> Years ago I gave an ARSC talk on this  subject, not published.
>>
>> Thus all US military and reserve bands were to use 440 and replace 
>> instruments if they were incapable of or, perhaps, awkward at,  tuning to 
>> this A.  The "Charles Ives" effect of bands playing at  different pitches 
>> (his "Three Places in New England") may have been  limited to amateur and 
>> municipal bands without funds to reequip  themselves.
>>
>> I'm convinced that this brought a bunch of older band instruments  into 
>> the surplus market at much reduced prices.  They may have gone  to hock 
>> shops or been given to servants (in those days, many even  lower class 
>> households had them.)  I've long assumed the funky  sound of some early 
>> jazz bands on record was a result of this  technology transfer.  I once 
>> mentioned this to Guther Schuller who  disagreed, but I still think this 
>> aspect of musical history needs  further exploring.
>>
>> In the early 1960s I talked with a fellow at Steinway who tuned the 
>> pianos at the Victor Studios.  He told me that he worked on pianos  used 
>> at the time of Caruso's recording sessions to A=440.  Caruso  died in 
>> August, 1921 so that gives a "no later than" date.
>>
>> Starr Piano Company didn't make Steinway-quality instruments but  one 
>> assumes they took sufficient care with Gennetts to present  their studio 
>> instruments in tune, seeing the records as, in part, a  promotional tool. 
>> I have an H&D Gennett which advertises their  pianos rather than records. 
>> I'm not sure at what pitch (from the  pine) Wisconsin Chairs resonated 
>> to.
>>
>> Steve Smolian
>>
>>
>> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Don Chichester" <[log in to unmask]>
>> To: <[log in to unmask]>
>> Sent: Tuesday, June 23, 2009 4:25 PM
>> Subject: Re: [ARSCLIST] Recording Speed
>>
>>
>>>
>>> I have one of those 'dog whistles'.  8>)
>>> I guess I was referring to a reference tone, not a pilot tone.  Tuning 
>>> A.
>>> What was that frequency back in the 'teens?
>>> Don Chichester
>>>
>>> In a message dated 6/23/2009 4:16:34 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time,
>>> [log in to unmask] writes:
>>>
>>> From:  Don Chichester <[log in to unmask]>
>>>> Re: pilot tone. Is this what is  recorded on some Euopean acoustics
>>>> back in the early 'teens? If so,  what is their pitch?  Don  Chichester
>>>
>>> A pilot tone is recorded  continuously with the entire recording from
>>> beginning to end.  It is  sent into a resolver which steadys it which
>>> will restore the recording to  original pitch and undo any  variations 
>>> in
>>> speed that might have happened  during recording.  It will be either
>>> filtered out of the sound  recording, or is recorded 2-track out- 
>>> of-phase
>>> and will disappear when  played with a full-track mono head.  This 
>>> allows
>>> the tape to be synced  with the film which is assumed to run at a
>>> constant 24 frames per  second.  What you might be referring to is a
>>> reference tone like what  I mentioned with the Sarasate records  where a
>>> tuning A was played in a  separate band at the end of the side.  I 
>>> don't
>>> know of any others --  maybe our European collectors do.  Unless  you 
>>> are
>>> thinking about the  high pitched chattering that sometimes is  recorded 
>>> on
>>> wax master discs that  get too warm.  Since these are heard  especially 
>>> on
>>> early Victor  Orthophonics, they are often called "His Master's
>>> Dogwhistle".
>>>
>>> Mike  Biel  [log in to unmask]
>>>
>>>
>>> In a message dated 6/23/2009  2:58:27 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time,
>>> [log in to unmask] writes:
>>>
>>> From:  Doug Pomeroy <[log in to unmask]>
>>>> Thanks Mike.
>>>> I was  most confused by George's reference to "the counter", which
>>>> appeared  with no explanation that I could find.
>>>
>>> It was hidden away a few  sentences earlier, at the end of the second
>>> sentence of the part I'm  reprinting below.
>>>
>>>
>>>> > The frequency of the calibration  track? It was calculated to be
>>>> > 10 times the rpm of the turntable,  in other words, at 78 rpm it
>>>> > gave out 780 Hz, suitable for a  frequency counter. In use of the
>>>> > tape as a secondary master, the  content could be de-chipmunked
>>>> > by changing the speed of the tape  recorder, and the tape rewound
>>>> > to the calibration track, which  was measured by the counter and
>>>> > would give the rpm of the  original record at the de-chipmunked
>>>> speed.
>>>
>>>> It is much simpler  than I thought. Doug
>>>
>>> I believe as turntables with internal speed  counters became more 
>>> common,
>>> George backed away from mass producing the  little calibration  discs, 
>>> but
>>> now more than ever with digitization of  recordings being made  without
>>> documentation of rotational speed, this would  be a quick and easy  way 
>>> to
>>> supply a notation of rotational speed in just  one extra step. If all
>>> records had been made with a reference tone like the  Seresate  records,
>>> things would be so much easier!
>>>
>>> While we are on  the subject of using known frequency tones to 
>>> determine
>>> speed, the ARSC  presentation of the Early Sounds project  explained 
>>> that
>>> Leon Scott's  Phonautograph continuously recorded a tuning fork tone
>>> alongside of the  sound, which now enables the constant speed  playback 
>>> of
>>> these hand-driven  pre-tinfoil recordings. This is now called the 
>>> "Pilot
>>> Tone" system, and is  still used to synchronize sproketless- analogue 
>>> tape
>>> sound with motion  picture film. I don't think this has ever been
>>> discussed, but not only did  Leon Scott apparently invent sound
>>> recording, he also apparently invented  the Pilot Tone speed  resolution
>>> system.
>>>
>>> Mike Biel [log in to unmask]
>>>
>>>
>>>> Date: Mon, 22 Jun 2009 11:23:26 -0700
>>>> From: Michael  Biel <[log in to unmask]>
>>>> Subject: Re: (Fwd) [ARSCLIST] Fwd:  Recording Speed
>>>>
>>>> I understand what George is saying partially  because I've seen him
>>>> do it and I am lucky enough to have one of his  calibration discs.
>>>> In case Doug and others still do not understand it,  Doug's snip
>>>> cut out the important info and left in material that has  no
>>>> meaning without the snipped part.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> In 1982  George commissioned a 7-inch pressing made of a 450 Hz.
>>>> tone cut at  45.0 RPM. That disc can be played at any RPM and a 
>>>> frequency
>>>> counter  will show a reading that is 10 times that RPM. (Play it  at 
>>>> 73.7
>>> RPM
>>>> and it shows 737.0 Hz. 78.26 shows 782.6 Hz. Etc.) If you have a
>>>> frequency counter handy, you can find what rotational speed you are
>>> using. BUT,
>>>> if you include a few seconds of that calibration disc  played on the
>>>> same turntable at the time of your transfer of the  record you are
>>>> working on, then later on that frequency can be read  with a  counter 
>>>> and
>>> at any
>>>> time you can establish the rotational  speed you used. It's like an
>>> audible
>>>> strobe disc that has the  unique ability to be recorded, and it  is as
>>>> accurate as your frequency  counter is. Sure, you could use a normal
>>>> test disc of, say, a 1000 Hz.  tone, but George's disc is more 
>>>> directly
>>>> readable without using math  to have to determine percentage of 1000
>>>> Hz. whatever tone you  used.
>>>>
>>>> Mike Biel [log in to unmask]
>>>
>>>
>>>
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>