I think like you. The piano was built to be at 440. One of my Masters, the great Righini, father of Acoustics for musicians, fought his whole life to affirm the law (even legal) of A 440. However, some pianos can withstand greater tension. Consider that on a Steinway grand piano, you can change the strings by bringing the tuning up (only once for settling) half a tone higher in the treble and up to a full tone in the mid and low-mid ranges. About one and a half tones in the bass.
It is tradition for orchestras to go up to 442, sometimes higher. It seems to benefit the strings. A singer already finds themselves in difficulty. .....Think of the famous aria of the "Queen of the Night" which extraordinarily reaches a high F!!!!!!!
I am for 440.
P.S. We are all authoritative and not, because no opinion can be entirely right.
I don't tune pianos, I don't conduct string orchestras, I am not a professional. However, in the school orchestra where I play, there are some violins and some strange violinists, who always asked to tune the professor's piano to 442... As if she were a professional!
In other words, even my music professor (who is also a violinist) agrees with the fact that the piano MUST be in A 440. Because that is how it was designed. Of course, as Paolo says, Steinways can practically do everything and grand pianos can be raised. However, a very modest Scimmel upright that is about thirty years old... perhaps is no longer able to do this...
Paolo, what can you tell us about Scimmel uprights? They seem very good to me; I had the chance to try the orchestra's one and a friend's, and I was positively impressed.
Personally, my mathematical vision of things compels me to think that there is a lot of mathematics behind the design of a piano. The choice of soundboard wood and its thickness, the gauge of the strings, etc., etc., are all variables considered and calculated during the design phase. For design reasons, therefore, I believe that A 440 is the reference frequency, meaning the frequency at which all components that produce and amplify sound are able to perform at their best; setting aside frame tension, given the construction geometry, I doubt that a tuning 2 Hz higher could buckle the frame. Therefore, I believe the difference lies more than anything in the sound quality.
Schimmel is the prince of pianos....but I am referring to uprights: I don't like grand pianos. Uprights are wonderful.
I would say that 2 Hz doesn't decide anything on the piano, especially if the frame is very robust. Consider that on a Steinway, when changing strings, you can raise (for settling purposes) the bass strings by about a tone, as well as the mids and highs by half a tone!!!!! In any case, the timbre changes with tunings above or below 440.
Schimmel is the prince of pianos....but I am referring to uprights: I don't like grand pianos. The uprights are wonderful.
I would say that 2 Hz doesn't decide anything on the piano, especially if the frame is very robust. Consider that on a Steinway, when changing strings, you can raise (for settling purposes) the bass strings by about a tone, as well as the mids and highs by half a tone!!!!! Anyway, the timbre changes with tunings above or below 440.
Ok... thanks Paolo... in fact I have never seen a Schimmel grand... but I agree with you that the uprights are veeeery beautiful. Steinway... well, on the Ferrari of Pianos, when needed, you can go a little faster!! 😆 Bye!
