What is 432 tuning?

The 432 tuning is a tuning that is based on the 432 Hz frequency rather than on 440 Hz frequency. The 432 tuning has been spread through Europe and the USA in the late 19 century along with other tunings. One of the most prominent apologetic of the 423 tuning was Giuseppe Verdi. Most of his operas were staged in this tuning in Italy.

Another country that had its orchestras tune at this frequency was Belgium in the late 19 century.

I have to tell you here that middle a tuned to 432 Hz is not a semitone lower than the middle a tuned to the 440 Hz frequency. A semitone or a half tone may be divided into 100 cents. Using this measuring methods the a@432 Hz is only 32 cents flatter than the a@440 Hz. Even this small difference has a very profound effect on how the human body responds to the music.

For examplel here are two short videos of the Italian baritone Piero Cappuccilli singing two arias from Verdi's operas "Il trovatore" and "Ernani" showing how the change of tuning affects the performance.

Piero Cappuccilli singing an aria from Verdi's "Il torvatore"

Piero Cappuccilli singing an aria from Verdi's "Ernani"

So even after the first time a profound difference can be heard and felt. This is because human voice has different registers. They are defined by the type of the voice. And every register has its own specific manners of vocalization. And when a note is higher than the upper limit of a register it mus be sung in a different manner than the other notes. An it makes a different impression on the listeners, not to mention the discomfort of changing registers to the singer(this is by the way a skill that is learned in the beginning of vocal training).

Thе main thing is that it sounds better when the whole melody is kept in one register, rather than passing to the other register for several times in an aria. Verdi was wise enough to foresee that and to propose the right tuning so the music may posses both emotional intensity and in the same time be comfortable to the singer.

In my view these videos depict in a good way the benefit of the 432 tuning against the 400 tuning to both the singers and the public. Of course there are a lot more to say and it is next to come.