Orchestra Finds Pitch Different

Press, Volume CII, Issue 30073, 6 March 1963, Page 12

Orchestra Finds Pitch Different

(New Zealand Press Association)

AUCKLAND, Mar. 5. Members of the Polish State radio orchestra had to readjust their instruments for a Chopin piano concerto at their Auckland Town Hail concert on Monday night, after finding that the pitch of the piano did not agree with their pitch in Poland. The difference came to light in the afternoon, when Barbara Hesse-Bukowska. the pianist touring with the orchestra, was trying out the Town Hall Steinway. She was disconcerted to find that the pitch of the piano was slightly lower than that of pianos in Poland.

It was decided that as there was not enough time to re-tune the piano, members of the orchestra would have to adjust the pitch of their instruments for the piano concerto. Mr P. G. Parker, assistant concert manager of the New Zealand Broadcasting Corporation, said today that the main difficulty arose with the fixed pitch instruments such as the flute, oboe and horn, which could not be adjusted.

“The difference in pitch was extremely slight,” he said, “and I will guarantee that 90 per cent, of the audience did not notice it.”

Mr Parker said the pianos to be used in the orchestra s other concerts in New Zealand would be re-Auned so that the pitch would correspond with that at which the orchestra normally played.

Mr L. A Eady, a director of a firm which deals in pianos, said the difficulty arose because Poland had not adopted the “international pitch” of 522 vibrations a second at middle C adopted as the standard pitch in all Western countries.

The pitch used by the Polish orchestra was 523) vibrations a second He said that the Czech Orchestra which visited New Zealand had played at an even higher pitch. The Boston Symphony Orchestra also played st a higher pitch.