In reply to Tommyc - it's not just 'a long time ago', some orchestras still use values other than 440Hz for A.

Check out this conversation in a forum on violinist.com:
http://www.violinist.com/discussion/response.cfm?ID=11273

I can say that when tuning pianos, I'm rarely tuning to exactly 440 on a particular axe - because most people that call me haven't had theirs tuned in literally years, and their whole instrument is so out of pitch that if I try raising it all the way to 440, I'll get a call in a week to come back and re-do the job!

So, I will quiz down the piano owner on when the last time the piano was tuned (most tuners I know will leave some written record inside the piano of what they set the instrument to and when) and they will sheepishly admit years of time.

Then I explain that I can do a better job getting the piano tuned to itself first, then over time gradually raise the pitch of the instrument, through several tunings, up to 440.

When I do this, then I get the call in 6 months to come again, and I'll gradually get that piano up to 440, but it takes time for the piano to settle into it's new tuning each time.

-Scott

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