Flushing Toilets and the heroic key of E flat?

Is THAT why they call it The Throne?

@ any whose bowls are out of tune:

bend the arm of the tank float up or down just a hair, more or less water will fill the bowl, and you can tune that sucker up or down to appease your fine-honed ear, and at any era's pitch level, too.

If your bowl is tuned to the classical era concert pitch, this might go well:

Beehoven, Piano Concerto No. 5, 1st movement

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GLi4QGRwOPc&feature...

If tuned to contemporary concert pitch

Stravinsky: Concerto in E - flat, "Dumbarton Oaks."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WQszFzbxwbM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a8_XpOcmB8I&feature...

..And a hearty welcome back, H. Things are looking up.

Best regards

Toilets Flush In E Flat

I re-read your question and you do not mention how you exactly discovered this obscure tidbit of knowledge. I suspect you are practicing with Humphrey while sitting on the throne.

Miss LimLam I suspect has a lazy toilet and may need to replace it with a new one with a strong flush to get it back up to the proper pitch.

I recently replaced mine at home and it has such as powerful flush I feel like I am putting my life in danger each time I flip the handle. Sometimes I stand in the adjacent room and reach through the doorway with a broom handle to flip the flush knob. I'm telling you this flush is so strong that I hear a definite Eb but also hear multiple harmonic tones giving me a full descending Eb major scale. Sounds exactly like the Schubert Impromptu in Eb major.

Always a treat to hear from you.

Hafwen, I am sorry you do not think that there are proper musical pieces for toilets as they have been a staple in the orchestral world for a very long time and that is why most are tuned in e flat, obviously not all. It really depends on the composer, your e flat toilet is merely a coincidence. Most toilets in performance are part of the percussion section as most will think nothing of a toilet being in that section, especially due to their lack of proper categorization and limited range.

An example of toilets "featured" in the work:

Bartok's Ballcock Symphony #2 in F# (the 2nd movement is especially interesting)

Some interesting history:

Bach often thought of adding toilets to the Brandenburg Concertos after the Margrave of Brandenburg decided to give them "The Royal Flush."

I wonder if there's a promising future for those who want to become

"toilet tuners"??

How about it, Mr. Petr b? You are the expert here!

And Hafwen, yours is what I'd call "futuristic insight"

@Jack Herring: Yours is so awesome! But I am sure that you left out

a few other incredible characteristics, for ex.,that it performs beautiful counterpoint, too!

I just went and checked (So I am just as sad)- My toilet does not flush in exactly Eb, its very slightly flat. Maybe I need a new toilet?

I am not sure of my favourite piece in Eb. I have a certain affinity for an old Lauda from the 13th century called "Piangere Mamma" which is in Eb - although I sing it in renaissance pitch...

@Hafwen - No, not quite baroque pitch... closer to classical (A=430? perhaps)

Dear Hafwen,

Ha ha...how funny! In E flat? I wonder if ALL toilets on earth or only the Australians?

I just made an experiment with all (5) in my home but I couldn't get a "musical" sound, only a Shh----- sound which I was too dumb to

identify musically-wise. Sorry...!

Anyway, rendering some musical homage to all Australian "heroic" (that's how you called them) toilets, may I

list here some of the Chopin etudes in E flat that I like:

Misae Pergolizzi plays Chopin's Etude in E flat

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bhY7TVvOiY0

Chopin: Etude in E-flat minor (op. 10 no. 6) - Robert Laniewski, piano

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c8kshFJs5Ik

A crazy idea, but it made my laugh and put me in a good mood!! Keep it up, Hafwen... We need these bits of good humour in our daily lives! Thanks!

Do works for symphonic band count? Then I would recommend these pieces:

Gustav Holst, First Suite in Eb for Military Band - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ngTnToAs4uU

And some Australian music for an Australian contributor: Percy Grainger, "Colonial Song" - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qnFt4ifwWV0

and the "Gum-Sucker's March" - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7CzE6ji9h2E

My dear Hafwen. I think there's something deeply 'sad' in the statement of this matter.

What I want to know is: who took it upon themselves to ascertain this fact? And you checked??

My favourite work in this key after the great 'Eroica' Symphony is the Symphony No 2 by Franz Schmidt.

Looking for nice "flatulent" bassoon pieces to pair with your unique instrument.

How about Franz Berwald's Quartet in Eb (for piano and winds (and water?))

The acoustics in the room must be amazing, though, to pull this one off.

... best performed in public restrooms, then.