Appropriate Historical Temperaments

[A440A@aol.com]

Lawrence writes:
<<This week I have to prepare a harpsichord to accompany a Vivaldi violin 
piece, and am wondering if anyone has suggestions for an appropriate 
temperament.  And, generally, I'm interested in how people who use HTs pick 
them. Thanks.
>>

Greetings, 
     At Vanderbilt, the harpsichord stays in a Young temperament, unless 
there is something particularly modern which calls for perhaps a Victorian.  
The difference between these two is that the most highly tempered thirds in 
the Young are 19 and 21 cents wide, whereas in the Victorian style, these 
would be no more than 16 or 17 cents.  It is all a matter of degree. 
     If there is early, ie baroque music to be played,  a Kirnberger gives 
the meantone arrangement of the white keys, and a lot of "color"  in any key 
with more than 4 accidentals in the signature.   
   Meantone tuning on the harpsichord is discouraged, since the amount of 
movement asked of the strings tends to shorten their life, and it seems to my 
ear that by the time the strings are let down far enough for say, a G#, they 
have moved below their best tension.  This leads me to believe that an 
instrument needs to be scaled for the expected tuning when it comes to 
meantone vs. any of the others.  
  Jorgensen's book also provides a number of modified meantone tunings that 
sound great on the harpsichord.  
Good luck., 
Ed Foote 
Vanderbilt