Tuning the World: The Rise of 440 Hertz in Music, Science, and Politics, 1859-1955

The book Tuning the World explores how the musical pitch A 440 became the global norm, tracing the history of negotiations between countries and the influence of powerful nations. It reveals the aesthetic, scientific, industrial, and political contingencies that shaped this century-old effort.

Format: Hardback
Length: 280 pages
Publication date: 11 April 2023
Publisher: The University of Chicago Press

The musical pitch of A 440 hertz has become the global standard for musicians in the Western world, but its adoption was not a straightforward process. This standard was established during an international conference held in 1939, after decades of negotiations between countries involving a diverse group of performers, composers, diplomats, physicists, and sound engineers. While there is widespread awareness of the variability of musical pitches over time, including the use of lower frequencies to perform early music repertoires, the invention of our current concert pitch remains a mystery. In her book, Tuning the World, Fanny Gribenski explores the untold story of how A 440 became the global norm. Drawing on a rich variety of previously unexplored archival sources and a unique combination of musicological perspectives, transnational history, and science studies, Gribenski reveals the complex aesthetic, scientific, industrial, and political contingencies that shaped the construction of this century-old object of contemporary musical performance. The book demonstrates how the influence of a few powerful nations ultimately determined the adoption of A 440 as the global standard, highlighting the power of cultural and political forces in shaping musical norms and practices.

Dimension: 229 x 152 x 28 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780226823263