Werckmeister temperament

Werckmeister temperament. A family of musical tuning systems developed by the German organist and music theorist Andreas Werckmeister in the late 17th century. These temperaments, particularly his "Werckmeister III" scheme, represented a pivotal compromise between the pure intervals of just intonation and the practical limitations of meantone temperament, enabling music to be played in all keys. Their development facilitated the transition in Baroque music towards more complex harmonic language and was influential on composers like Johann Sebastian Bach.

Historical context

The search for a flexible tuning system intensified during the Baroque period, as composers began exploring keys beyond the limited set usable in standard meantone temperament. Figures like Gioseffo Zarlino and Marin Mersenne had previously grappled with the mathematical challenges of tuning. The rise of equal temperament was still contested, and many instrument builders and musicians sought practical solutions. Werckmeister, working in the context of North German organ tradition, was influenced by earlier theorists including Johannes Kepler and aimed to create tunings suitable for the complex chorale preludes and fugues of his era. His work coincided with the activities of Arp Schnitger, a famed organ builder, and the flourishing of music in centers like Hamburg.

Theoretical basis

Werckmeister's systems are classified as well temperaments, deliberately deviating from pure fifths and thirds by small, calculated amounts to distribute the inherent acoustic "impurities" known as commas. He explicitly sought to temper the Pythagorean comma and the syntonic comma across the circle of fifths. His theoretical writings, such as those in Musicalische Temperatur, built upon the work of Aristoxenus and Claudius Ptolemy, but applied contemporary mathematics. The goal was not the uniformity of equal temperament, but a carefully arranged irregularity where all keys were playable, each possessing a distinct tonal character or Affekt.

Construction and tuning

The most famous of his schemes, often called Werckmeister III, provides specific instructions for tuning a series of eleven fifths on a keyboard instrument. In this system, most fifths are tuned slightly narrow, but four specific fifths (C–G, D–A, F#–C#, B♭–F) are left pure. This pattern strategically places the tempered, "wolf" intervals where they are least disruptive. The process begins by establishing a pure octave and then adjusting the fifths according to his prescribed fractions of a comma. This method was more practical for organ tuners than constructing a temperament from harmonic partials. Other numbered temperaments, like Werckmeister I and II, offered different distributions of the comma.

Musical characteristics and use

These temperaments produce a palette of keys with varying sonic colors. Closely related keys like C major and G major sound nearly pure, while distant keys like F♯ major or D♭ major contain more pronounced, spicy thirds, lending them a unique expressive quality. This directly supported the doctrine of the affections central to Baroque music. Werckmeister himself noted the suitability of his temperaments for the music of Dieterich Buxtehude and Johann Pachelbel. It is widely believed that Johann Sebastian Bach's The Well-Tempered Clavier was composed for, and demonstrates the possibilities of, such a well-tempered system, though not necessarily equal temperament.

Influence and legacy

Werckmeister's temperaments provided a crucial practical bridge between meantone temperament and later equal temperament. They influenced subsequent theorists including Johann Philipp Kirnberger, a student of Bach, and Georg Andreas Sorge. The clarity they brought to key relationships supported the evolving tonal language of the High Baroque and Classical period. In the 20th and 21st centuries, the historically informed performance movement, led by figures like Nikolaus Harnoncourt and ensembles such as the Academy of Ancient Music, revived their use, allowing modern audiences to hear the intended tonal rhetoric in works by George Frideric Handel, Jean-Philippe Rameau, and of course, Bach.

Category:Musical tuning Category:Baroque music Category:Music theory