Ep.31: The Tempo Paradox

In this episode of the Authentic Sound Podcast, Wim and Stefan take up one of the most revealing cases in the metronome debate: Max Reger and Karl Straube. Drawing on Marcel Punt’s study The Straube Code, they examine parallel editions of Reger’s organ works and ask how two radically different metronome notations could coexist, with Straube’s version explicitly approved by the composer.The discussion goes beyond a simple comparison of numbers. It explores Reger’s meticulous approach to tempo, Straube’s central role as performer and interpreter, and the larger historical question of what happened when Whole Beat gradually gave way to Single Beat in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Rather than treating Straube as someone who distorted Reger’s intentions, the episode considers whether his editions may actually clarify a notational problem that later musicians and scholars misunderstood.Along the way, Wim and Stefan listen to contrasting performances, discuss why organ type matters so much in Reger’s music, and end with the remarkable story of a historical recording connected to the Britannic. The result is not just an episode about Reger, but a sharp case study in how a forgotten metronome logic can remain hidden in plain sight. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit wimwinters.substack.com/subscribe