NATURAL PHILOSOPHY. 187 



land, Italy, and America. Almost all the answers which they received agree 

 in their estimation of the importance of the subject, and in deprecating the 

 undue height of the diapasons now in use. Some of these communications, 

 coming as they do from composers and conductors of the first eminence, are 

 very interesting. It would, however, occupy more space than we can afford, 

 to attempt anything more than a very brief mention of one or two of the most 

 striking. Reissiger writes, from Dresden, that he hopes all Europe will warmly 

 applaud the establishment of the commission. The great elevation of the 

 pitch, in his opinion, destroys the effect and effaces the character of ancient 

 music of the master-pieces of Mozart, Gluck, and Beethoven. Ferdinand 

 David, Franz Abt, and Larimer, express with equal decision their approval 

 of the step which the French government has taken. Herr Wicprecht, the 

 director of the military music of Prussia, and Dr. Furke, each forwarded able 

 papers upon the subject, and manifested a lively sympathy with the objects 

 which the commission had in view. From several quarters tuning-forks, to 

 the number of twenty-five, were received. Of these, Messrs. Broadwood 

 sent three, which afford a striking example of the necessity which exists in 

 our own country for some readjustment and assimilation of the pitches now 

 in use. The first is a quarter of a tone lower than that of Paris, and is used 

 exclusively for piano-fortes destined to be employed for the accompaniments 

 at vocal concerts. This, it seems, was the pitch used about thirty years au - o 

 by the Philharmonic Society. The second, which is higher than the Paris 

 pitch, is that to which Messrs. Broadwood ordinarily tune their instruments, 

 as being most likely in general to be in tune with harmoniums, flutes, etc. It 

 is the diapason of instrumentalists. The third, still higher, is that now used 

 by the Philharmonic Society, and, with one exception viz., that employed 

 in the band of the Belgium regiment of guides is the highest which the 

 commission received. This latter vibrates nine hundred and eleven times in 

 a second, whereas the Xo. 1 of the Messrs. Broadwood, the lowest of all the 

 tuning-forks sent in, gives only eight hundred and sixty-eight vibrations in 

 the same time. This difference is nearly equivalent to a semitone. 



With these and various other similar communications before them, the 

 commissioners unanimously come to the conclusion that it was desirable 

 first, that the diapason should be lowered; and, secondly, that when so low- 

 ered, it should betaken as an invariable regulator. The determination of 

 the particular diapason to be adopted naturally presented considerable diffi- 

 culties, and accordingly led to some diversity of opinion. All agreed that a 

 depression of more than a semitone was neither practicable nor necessary. 

 One member alone advocated a depression of less than a quarter of a tone, 

 lie, indeed, proposed that the alteration should at the most extend to half a 

 quarter of a tone fearing that any greater change, coming suddenly into 

 operation, might act prejudicially upon the trade in musical instruments, 

 which is one of the most successful branches of French industry. It is dif- 

 ficult, however, to see much force in this objection, when we consider the 

 great variety which exists in the diapasons already in use throughout Europe. 

 In a letter addressed to the Minister of State by the principal French instru- 

 ment-makers, they enlarged upon the embarrassment resulting " from the 

 continually increasing elevation of the diapason, and from the variety of 

 diapasons/' and go on to request his Excellency " to put an end to this kind 

 of anarchy, and to render to the musical world a service as important as that 

 rendered to the industrial world by the creation of a uniform, system of 



