John, I think the confusion here is that there is no "untransposed key" in reality. The standard of C for Arabic is just as arbitrary as G for
Turkish. It so happens that Arab musicians have largely adopted the practice of tuning to match the written pitch, but this is not the case on old
recordings. It's not like actual transposing instruments like the Horn or Saxophone.
I knew what you meant, but I think someone like Adam who is used to the Turkish system would find it strange, since your "concert pitch" is typically
a whole step below his even if you consider the transposition. I thought it was clear enough from your original explanation, though.
It's the internet! everything sparks a debate, often unrelated to the initial intent. |
