Bach & WT vs. ET

[Anne Beetem]

>In a message dated 98-03-09 22:08:56 EST, you write:
 This while repeating the very serious error
>which has lead to so much misunderstanding:  "Bach began to tune his
>clavichords in ET (sic) so that his pupils might be able to play in all
>tonalities without frequent retunings.  The celebrated WT Clavier [music] in
>each of the 12 major & minor tonalities, was the first fruit of this famous
>experiment in intonation".
>
>This statement is patently incorrect but I have learned over the years not to
>automatically believe every thing I read, even if it is written by a well
>respected individual with solid credentials.  I prefer to give emphasis to the
>statements he made which immediately followed his erroneous one:
>

This fallacy has just been republished in the new book,  "Music, The Brain,
& Ecstasy"  along with various other 20th century misconceptions.
Otherwise it's a great book.   I just may contact the author and encourage
a corrected 2nd edition!

Anne






Anne Beetem
Harpsichords & Historic Pianos
2070 Bingham Ct.
Reston, VA  20191
abeetem@wizard.net