Is well temperament the same as equal temperament?

Well temperament represented a departure from the various meantone tunings that were used in earlier music. Equal temperament, the modern and usually inappropriate system of tuning used in western music, is based on the twelfth root of 2. The ratio of frequencies for each semi tone is equal to the twelfth root of two.

Are pianos equal tempered?

Pianos are usually tuned to a modified version of the system called equal temperament. In all systems of tuning, every pitch may be derived from its relationship to a chosen fixed pitch, which is usually A440 (440 Hz), the note A above middle C.

What is a well tempered piano?

As used in the 17th century, the term “well tempered” meant that the twelve notes per octave of the standard keyboard were tuned in such a way that it was possible to play music in all major or minor keys that were commonly in use, without sounding perceptibly out of tune.

Did Beethoven use equal temperament?

UNEQUAL TEMPERAMENT Bach didn’t use equal temperament. Neither did Mozart nor Beethoven or any of their contemporaries. They used unequal temperaments — also known as, you guessed it, Well-tempered.

Why are all piano keys of equal temperament?

Because in those days, people were used to different tuning schemes, as I mentioned above- ones that did NOT divide the octave equally, but that “favored” certain keys. When you get all the way to Bach, tuning is evolving, but the compromise is uneven, unequal well-temperament.

When did Bach write the Well Tempered Clavier?

Contrary to what you’ve been taught, Bach did not compose the Well Tempered Clavier to promote the equal tempered tuning system. Equal temperament actually did not come into use until the *20th* century.

When to use an equal temperament in music?

Equal temperament is appropriate for some music of the 20th century, especially atonal music, and music based on the whole tone scale, but not for the works of the 18th and 19th centuries.

Where did the term Well Tempered Clavier come from?

The term is modeled on the German word wohltemperiert. This word also appears in the title of J.S. Bach ‘s famous composition “Das wohltemperierte Klavier”, The Well-Tempered Clavier .