Temperaments; Ancient Temperaments: Pythagorean; Ancient Temperaments: Mean-Tone; Well Temperaments: Kirnberger - Rodgers 835 Manual

In recent years, there has been a renewed interest in authentic interpretation of organ
literature written before the adoption of Equal Temperament tuning. Until the middle of the
18th century, the relative pitches of the notes of the scale were chosen to favor music written
in key signatures with few sharps or flats; more remote keys produced varying degrees of
aural distress. Many composers of the day utilized moderately out of tune intervals to evoke
momentary tension to the listener. With the adoption of the Equal Temperament ("Well-
Tempered") tuning system, almost universal today, all keys became equally out of tune, and
the intentions of these earlier composers were lost, to some degree.
The Rodgers 835 offers a choice of eight temperaments: Equal, Mean-Tone, Kirnberger,
Werckmeister I, Werckmeister III, Young I, Young II and Pythagorean. This selection of
temperaments allows the organist to hear these historical works as their composers heard
them, or to explore the application of unequal temperament to new music.
Ancient Temperaments
Pythagorean: Pythagoras (582-500 B.C.) was a brilliant Greek
theorist and mathematician.
characterized by pure fifths and fourths. The Pythagorean theory
founded a diatonic scale which served as a model throughout the
Middle Ages.
Mean-Tone:
Pythagorean tuning by slightly contracting each of the four fifths
needed to generate a major third. Major thirds and in-tune fifths
are slightly narrow, and the differences between the major and
minor seconds are smoothed out. Many artists now prefer Mean-
Tone temperaments when performing 15th through 17th century
repertoire.
J.S. Bach's Well Tempered Clavier, written in 1722 and 1738-42, is a collection of 24
paired preludes and fugues written in every major and minor key. The title refers to the use of
a temperament in which all keys are satisfactorily in tune, but not necessarily an absolutely
equal temperament.
Well Temperaments
Kirnberger: Johann Philipp Kirnberger (1721-1783) was a German
composer and pupil of Bach from 1739-41. His temperament
favored pure fifths, as in the Pythagorean model, but performance
was improved in many keys.

TEMPERAMENTS

The Pythagorean temperament is
Mean-Tone temperament
17
improves on the