Tuning the World: The Rise of 440 Hertz in Music, Science, and Politics, 1859–1955 (New Material Histories of Music) Cover
Podcast Mentions

Tuning the World The Rise of 440 Hertz in Music, Science, and Politics, 1859–1955 (New Material Histories of Music)

Fanny Gribenski

Tuning the World Now commonly accepted as the point of reference for musicians in the Western world, A 440 hertz only became the standard pitch during an international conference held in 1939. The adoption of this norm was the result of decades of negotiations between countries, involving a diverse...

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The guest, Fanny Gribenski, explained that the book examined the historical debate over adopting the 440 Hz pitch standard, showing how scientific, political, and aesthetic concerns converged among musicians and manufacturers. She noted that it marked the first major discussion of pitch standards and reflected extensive research into the topic.

Highly Recommended

Episode: What’s A

The guest, Fanny Gribenski, authored this book which explored the history and debates surrounding the establishment of the 440 Hertz standard for the musical A note. The book detailed how the agreement on a standard pitch required a convergence of scientific, political, and aesthetic considerations among musicians and manufacturers.

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She wrote a whole book about it called Tuning the World.

Fanny says it was the first time that the conversation about pitch standards really took off.

Fanny did extensive research on Deegan for her book.

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