>> It is common, for example, for a composer to write D sharp for some
>> instruments and E flat for others.
>
> A composer should write so that it becomes easy for the musician to
> perform, otherwise they will have to edit the score, which costs
> time and money. The musicians then listens to the other musicians
> and adapt so it sounds right—this is what one of my flute teachers
> said, who sits in an opera here. Or modern composers just haven't
> checked it out. Some do, though.
Well, almost all orchestra musicians think linearly, this is,
horizontally, not vertically. Consequently, composers (at least up to
the late romantic era) write music that can be easily read linearly.
This is what sometimes leads to have d sharp and e flat at the same
time.
Hans, please note that your opinion is that of a minority IMHO. In
all classical, romantic, or impressionistic scores that I'm aware of,
pitches of enharmonic changes are completely insignificant. Musicians
are expected to automatically adjust the pitch so that it sounds ok
within chords. However, this gets *never* notated as such.
Consequently, we have ties between enharmonic changes and not slurs.
Werner
