Re: [ARSCLIST] The waltz (was Which U.S. orchestra recorded first and Arthur Fiedler)

[Karl Miller <lyaa071@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

On Tue, 4 Apr 2006, Don Cox wrote:

> So would Beethoven's metronome marks work only in Studio 8H?

While I don't know if you were being serious or not with your question...

I do wonder about the process of determining tempo markings. I am reminded
of my old days as a composer. I must admit that I never thought about the
notion of what the acoustic might be since you could never anticipate the
acoustic of the hall. One work was performed several
times and I have tapes of the various performances...all given in
different halls. While there were slight differences in tempi, for the
most part, all of the conductors pretty much paid attention to what I
wrote...and each time, the particular hall changed the sound, sometimes
blurring the line.

I guess a Beethoven 5th done with fast tempi, recorded in a reverberant
hall, just wouldn't work...which raises in my mind, a curious
question...are some pieces better suited to a particular acoustic
environment? Certainly there are more obvious considerations like most
chamber music working best a dry acoustic environment...but I do wonder if
some large ensemble pieces work better in a dry acoustic...

Karl