Tuning advocated by Bach's WTC

[Jim]

Some Musicologists believe they know exactly which Well Temperament
Bach used.  They have counted the frequency of notes used and have noted
that the less consonant notes were carefully glossed over, hidden in
a mordent or used lightly after a long appogiatura, etc.  Dr John Metz,
the harpsichord professor at ASU in Tempe, AZ has read up on all of
this.  Kirnberger Well temperaments were popular in Bach's day, I think.
Marpurg III was also very popular at that time.  Get the Owen Jorgensen
book on Tuning the Historical Temperaments.  It will keep you busy
and out of trouble.

Jim Coleman, Sr.


On Thu, 17 Oct 1996 KCosALH1@aol.com wrote:

> Exactly what method of tuning was Bach advocating in his Well Tempered
> Clavier?  Some variant of Equal Temperment, I suppose.  But since, according
> to my Oxford Concise Dictionary of Music, Equal Temperment did not become
> common practice (at least in England) until the mid-19th Century, and Bach
> died in 1750, I wonder if there were not some sort of intermediate stage in
> the development of keyboard tunings that was what Bach was specifically
> aiming at.  Can you help me with this?  If so, please email me back at
> KCOSALH1@AOL.COM
> Thanks--
> Andrew Hingston
>