Well Temperaments (Part 4)

 

Now I want to start talking about some important well-tempered tuning systems invented by Johann Philipp Kirnberger. But first: who was this guy? As I tried to answer this question for myself I became sort of fascinated with his personality.

Kirnberger was a German music theorist who played an important role in formalizing baroque harmony and counterpoint. He was born in 1721.

As a child he studied the violin and harpsichord at home. He then moved to another town to study the organ, and...