26 Johnson ⦁ Violin Intonation throughout Europe. It was not until later that the violin’s tuning note would be A=440 hertz as it most commonly is today. It varied from city to city in Europe from where the instrumentalists would receive their tuning note and the frequency of this note. A tuning challenge that violinists have dealt with since the instrument’s conception is from where they receive their tuning note. If the musicians were playing with an organ, it would be simple to tune the violin to the notes of the organ. The organ was a very common pitch example, as it was not possible to change the shape of the organ’s pipes in the way that they create their pitches. It proved as a well-grounded source in tuning since the organ has little variation in pitch, therefore creating a clear standard for the violin. However, what would the performers do if there was no organ, or if this was an ensemble composed only of string instruments or of wind instruments that could not tune to string instruments? An object known as the pitch pipe was used in this scenario. This pipe had labeled pitches of the strings, and the user blew into the pipe for the correct pitches which were based on the standard for tuning in that setting or area. It was difficult during the Baroque period to use instruments other than the organ for tuning simply due to the diversity of reeds on woodwind instruments. Also considered was the variability of types of strings (both in string instruments and that of the harpsichord) and how they hold their tuning reliably.11 Care had to be taken with individual tuning and also when tuning in an ensemble setting. In Tuning and Temperament by Giovanni Artusi, written in 1600, tuning an ensemble is discussed in that musicians “may know how to tune, but not as if they were one.”12 This is because “the sense of hearing in one person is quite different from that in another.”13 Artusi means that an individual will almost always tune their open strings as well as their fingered notes differently than his or her fellow musician. Therefore, ensemble music can result in tuning discrepancies. This aspect of tuning in string instrument ensembles sets it apart from other ensembles. The sense of hearing is one that may not be homogenous from person to person, which can cause discrepancies from one instrument to another. In addition, tuning the violin’s open strings is only the first step of tuning a violin. The way in which the fingers are placed on the strings also play a part in ensemble tuning. In Roger North’s 11 Cyr, 141. 12 Artusi, 136. 13 Artusi, 136.
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