A Musical Analogy That Can Be Applied to Democratic Primary Politics, Perhaps.

[MineralMan]

3. Most oboists are fanatics about the pitch they give.

I finally switched to carrying a crystal-controlled electronic tuner. In the case of pitch arguments, I simply handed it to the person complaining about my A and had them tune their instrument to that tuner's pitch, which was always the one I used. Oddly enough, the complainer was always a violinist. But that's a different issue.

All of the reeds I made for myself centered on that pitch. Oddly enough, A4 on the oboe is probably that instrument's least stable note, pitch-wise, which is why oboists hate giving the A, and is also why all oboists carry a pitch standard with them at all times. I used to use a tuning fork, but finally switched to a high-quality electronic tuner, since arguments occur. My A, always played with the tuner sitting on my music stand, was bang-on at 440 Hertz, since I could see the needle of the tuner's meter centered as I played it. The tuner would also play the note through its speaker, if someone was still dissatisfied with the pitch I gave.

I often wished to be relieved of that duty. I'm sure other oboists have felt the same at times. It is too often a point of contention.

As for the Soprano's F6 in that aria, I have great sympathy. Mozart's pitch standard was far more forgiving, indeed.