ABSTRACT
For the singer, string- and wind-player, good intonation is not a matter of conforming to some mathematically determined temperament but is 'a dynamic process, expressing the organic relationship between notes in a musical context'. If the sharpening or flattening of a tone can be expressive in D. Blum's sense, the listener must be aware of some normative intonation. As well as clarifying D. Blum's methods, an analysis of Casals' recording provides a suitable context for a critical review of methods of intonation analysis. The chapter presents sets of harmonics for B2 and C3, as revealed in the spectra of these tones. It shows how Casals' tuning in the first eight bars compares with the theoretical tuning of Just Intonation (JI). The theme of the slow movement of Beethoven's last quartet begins in bar 3 with stepwise quavers falling from tonic to dominant and rising back to the tonic.
