Wayne:
Thanks for your comments!
The following excerpt from "An Introduction to Historical Tunings" by
Kyle Gann (at http://home.earthlink.net/~kgann/histune.html) should help
clarify the term 'equal temperament':
"...Bach was...interested in a tuning that would allow him the
possibility of working in all 12 keys, that did not make certain triads
off-limits. He was a master of counterpoint, and probably chafed and
fumed when the music in his head demanded a triad on A-flat and the
harpsichord in front of him couldn't play it in tune. So he was glad to
see tuners develop a tuning that, today, is known as well temperament.
Back then, they did call it equal temperament - not because the 12
pitches were equally spaced, but because you could play equally well in
all keys. Each key, however, was a little different, and Bach wrote The
Well-Tempered Clavier in all 24 major and minor keys in order to
capitalize on those differences, not because the differences didn't
exist.
"In any case (according to Jorgensen), the error that Bach wrote the
W.T.C. in order to take advantage of what we call equal temperament
crept into the 1893 Grove Dictionary, and has since been uncritically
taught as fact to millions of budding musicians. Lord knows how long
it will take to get that error out of the universities. It's still in
all kinds of reference books."
I'm sorry you feel you've been seriously misled by my original posting -
but, as you see, in this area things are not as clear-cut as one would
have thought, or wished. I hope you will agree that my attempted
clarification takes nothing away from the main point of my writing, viz
that a remarkable move of God was taking place in Bach's day; that his
music bears witness to the fact; and that Richard Dawkins' failure to
respond to that message is a matter of great wonder to many of us.
Sincerely,
Vernon
Dawsonzhu@aol.com wrote:
>
> Vernon Jenkins wrote:
>
>> I am advised by the composer A.M.Sauerwein (Duke University) that
>> while Bach was an avid champion of 'well-tempered' tuning - as
>> evidenced by his two sets of 24 keyboard Preludes and Fugues covering
>> the whole range of major and minor keys - 'equal temperament', as it
>> is now understood, was a later development.
>> I am indebted to him for drawing my attention to this matter.
>
> I think it was Dave C. (on the subject of Metaphysical naturalism vs.
> methodological naturalism) who mentioned that we are taught by people
> who think they are teaching us what is true, and we accept it as fact.
>
> Indeed, I was also taught that the "well tempered" clavier == "equal
> tempered" clavier. I'm a scientist now, so the number of musicians
> that I propagate these "corrections" to will be small, but I do serve
> in the music ministry at my church, so I will be a little more
> careful. I've told this very same thing to many people.....
> sigh.
>
> On the other hand, most 20th century music (not just Hindemith, Ives
> etc., but even contemporary worship music built on the traditional
> triads) has been constructed via equal tempered tuning for the most
> part.
>
> by Grace we do proceed,
> Wayne
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