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Concert pitch is the pitch reference to which a group of musical instruments are tuned for a performance. Concert pitch may vary from ensemble to ensemble, and has varied widely over time. The ISO defines international standard pitch as A440 , setting 440 Hz as the frequency of the A above middle C .
The following year, Swinburne represented the Musical Association at a preliminary conference to determine the British stance on concert pitch. British piano tuners had adopted A439 as the standard in 1899, but Swinburne pointed out that 439 was a prime number, whereas 440 could be more easily factored and electronically synthesized.
A pitch standard (also concert pitch) is the conventional pitch reference that musical instruments in a group are tuned to for a performance. Concert pitch may vary from ensemble to ensemble, and has varied widely over musical history.
Some instruments are constructed in a variety of sizes, with the larger versions having a lower range than the smaller ones. Common examples are clarinets (the high E ♭ clarinet, soprano instruments in C, B ♭ and A, the alto in E ♭, and the bass in B ♭), flutes (the piccolo, transposing at the octave, the standard concert-pitch flute, and the alto flute in G), saxophones (in several ...
Scale and pitch The standard pitch has varied widely over history, [39] and this has affected how flutes are made. [17] Although the standard concert pitch today is A 4 = 440 Hz, many manufacturers optimize the tone hole size/spacings for higher pitch options such as A 4 = 442 Hz or A 4 = 444 Hz.
The euphonium is a medium-sized, 3- or 4-valve, often compensating, conical-bore, tenor-voiced brass instrument that derives its name from the Ancient Greek word εὔφωνος euphōnos, [2] meaning "well-sounding" or "sweet-voiced" (εὖ eu means "well" or "good" and φωνή phōnē means "sound", hence "of good sound").
Historically, concert pitch has varied. For an instrument in equal temperament tuned to the A440 pitch standard widely adopted in 1939, middle C has a frequency around 261.63 Hz [1] (for other notes see piano key frequencies).
The frequency of a pitch is derived by multiplying (ascending) or dividing (descending) the frequency of the previous pitch by the twelfth root of two (approximately 1.059463). [ 1 ] [ 2 ] For example, to get the frequency one semitone up from A 4 (A ♯ 4 ), multiply 440 Hz by the twelfth root of two.