Beethoven's Eroica: opening chords

A chronological survey of the opening chords of Beethoven's Eroica Symphony

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[Matt Barber]

Four horn players played an F in 1967.

[Jmdaly]

"I enjoy how most of the European ensembles are considerably higher in pitch, since they tend to tune in a442 and higher as opposed to us Americans and our "standard" a440"

-rob

[thomj]

Nauseating!

[Adam Keele]

Sorry, standards wasn't a good word choice; parameters.

It's not about the quality but how the performance was recorded and "played" back for use in this video; basic physics and manipulation of sound waves. Going from analog to digital isn't seamless.

These kind of issues weren't addressed in the video or description, so those that care about details are left to wonder. Without it, this can't be something of worthy comparison of the differences or changing in tuning over time and location.

[Keehun Nam]

Really the recording quality doesn't matter. Some of the oldest recordings sound better than most of the clips from the second half of the video. ie. Mengelberg (1940) and Böhm (1978) and maybe Blomstedt (1973)

[Adam Keele]

Unless recording standards were taken into account for each of these examples, and the ones that could cause variation were thrown out, this is could be misleading.

[pfaffenberk]

Really, in the "second eighth note" on the first hit one horn changed from Eb to F.

One of a lot of horn difficulties...

[Aidan Ritchie]

You can clearly hear a 9th (a concert F in the Eb chord) on the first hit of the 1967 recording, played by a horn.

[Klopmoon8]

Could anyone explain in brief 432 hz A; may potentially resonate the key harmonic spectrum for listening in addition to causing less vocal strain (various sources), more so than our current standard 440 hz A which also may explain the wide variety of tonal cent variables over the decades? Not to mention when and who exactly sets the "standard" in recent history for tuning?

[pfaffenberk]

Hi!

Sorry, I don't understand your answer exactly.

Tomorrow somebody will explain me your comment.

Greetings to the very cute Molly!

[Matt Barber]

Hi -- this was supposed to be one of those stupid youtube jokes, where you take the number of "thumbs downs" (there were 4 at the time) and make a wise crack about something that happens in the video. In this case, if you listen to the Barbirolli 1967 opening at 1:21, you'll hear either the first or third horn plays a concert F instead of E-flat.

[pfaffenberk]

You are able to hear it or you know it?

Which horn is doubled??