Melbourne Conservatorium of Music - Theses
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Item'In tune with the times': the history of performing pitch in Melbourne( 2011)On 6 March 1909, Nellie Melba (1861–1931) presented a set of French diapason normal (a1=435) woodwind and brass instruments, known as the ‘Melba Gift’, to the Marshall-Hall Orchestra in Melbourne. Although she would benefit from use of the instruments in her later Australian opera tours, Melba made the gift primarily to help establish the French diapason normal as the uniform standard of performing pitch in Melbourne. At the beginning of the twentieth century, orchestral playing in the city was marred by tuning problems, and Melba’s gift formed part of a wider movement to standardise pitch in Melbourne. Melba’s set of instruments draws attention to an aspect of music making in the city, the frequency at which musical instruments are tuned, that, although fundamental to musical practice, has not yet been the subject of scholarly investigation. The aim of this PhD thesis is to explore how issues of performing pitch have shaped musical life in Melbourne. Focussing on the pitch of local pipe organs, orchestras, military bands, and civilian brass bands, this thesis traces the various standards of pitch used in Melbourne from the mid nineteenth to late twentieth centuries. It examines local discussion on pitch, and shows how practice has been driven by practical needs, economic considerations, aesthetics, and cultural attitudes. The thesis highlights local concern to keep up to date with international practice.