[Harp-L] German Major and Richter

[Jonathan Ross <jross38@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Gruß,Frank writes (in response to Winslow, but since I have a stake  
I'll jump in as well):


"While i usually agree with your statements and keep learning from your
impressive pool of wisdom concerning harmonicas and their history, i
don´t second you in your statement, that the term "Richter" just
refers to a type of construction rather than to a tuning."

I refer you to the following pages:

http://www.patmissin.com/ffaq/q37.html

http://www.patmissin.com/ffaq/q36.html

I don't have Pat's resources for fact checking, but I'll trust his  
assessment that originally the term "Richter" was meant to address  
the construction differences between the various diatonic harmonica  
types (Knittlinger octave, Weiner octave and tremolo, Hab-Weiner,  
Half-Concert, Richter, etc...) and later was applied to reference the  
tuning scheme, which was in fact common to all of these instruments  
as well as to other diatonic free-reed instruments developed in the  
19th century (diatonic accordions, Anglo concertinae, Bandonions,  
etc...)

"While nobody really knows who Joseph Richter was (AFAIK), other that
he lived in the city of Haida and was manufactoring harmonicas, the
tuning you call German Major was an important part of his invention."

See the first link--the fact that so many free-reed instruments use  
this tuning, and were using it about the time Richter is credited  
with inventing it would indicate to me that the tuning was already in  
existence.

"With all those alternative tunings for 10-holes today there might be
need to  have a  name of it´s own for that standard tuning, but i don
´t see whats wrong with the term richter tuned in that scope."

The problem is that a Lee Oskar Melody Maker is still a Richter  
diatonic harmonica, as it uses the Richter construction (actually,  
one could argue that the recessed comb of the LO, Special 20 and the  
like deserves a new name for the construction compared to the  
sandwich of a Marine Band type, but even I would view that as being  
nit-picking).  So there is an overlap between terms and thus  
confusion: if we call the tuning "Richter tuning" then you can have a  
Richter diatonic which isn't in "Richter" tuning.

"Btw. i´ve never heard the name "Deutsch-Dur" )which would be the
translation of "German Major") here in Germany ;)"

Which means you can be the first one to use it:).  I'm pretty sure I  
came up with the term "German Major diatonic" to describe the tuning  
here on harp-l, and from there others have used it.  My logic was  
simple: this is a common tuning to several types of harmonicas,  
accordions and the like many of which originated in what is now  
Germany during the first half of the 19th century.  Thus the tuning  
fit the practices of German folk music at the time quite well (other  
cultures might have had different emphases in their folk musics, and  
thus created a different tuning).  Thus the name "German Major  
diatonic" or just "German Major" (a cleaner term, thanks Winslow)  
made sense.  Also, it eliminates the illogic of talking about  
"Richter tuning" when talking about non-Richter construction  
instruments like octave, tremolo and slide-harps.





 ()()    JR "Bulldogge" Ross
()  ()   & Snuffy, too:)
`----'