On “The Well-Tempered Clavier” on a Well-Tempered Clavier

Mark Camp
Mark Camp
318
 

Recently WGUC in Cincinnati played a recording of a piece from The Well-Tempered Clavier played on a well-tempered clavier. Or a well-tempered something that sounded like a clavier, whatever a clavier sounds like, which I wouldn’t know from a harpsichord. Know from the sound of a harpsichord, I mean. (I’m confessing here about my ignorance of classical music, not bragging about that ignorance, which ardly hever appens.)

According to the DJ, the lady who made the recording had enthused over the glorious, rich experience of hearing The Well-Tempered Clavier played on a well-tempered clavier for the first time in her life, and was eager to share the excitement with the world, which is why she made the recording. She pointed out that she was finally hearing the music the way Bach intended for it to sound when he wrote it.

I admit I couldn’t tell the difference, but I am utterly fascinated by the quirky science and math involved in all this arcane stuff about tuning instruments and singing*, how it has changed over the millennia, and how it differs from instrument to instrument even today.

I feel the temptation to share what I’ve learned over the years, and especially over the recent months, and especially in the last 48 hours. But it is a pretty quirky subject, as I said, and I hear someone moving about upstairs sounding like she needs coffee, so I won’t.

Thanks for reading this.

 * * *

*Like Pythagorean tuning, the infinite variety of just tunings, all the different mean-tone, well, and equal temperaments, scales (pentatonic, diatonic, 12-tone, and other), the tuning perfectionism of Barbershop Quartet singing, stretched octaves on acoustic pianos (but not electronic ones!), etc.

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  1. Joseph Stanko Coolidge
    Joseph Stanko
    @JosephStanko
    1:39 AM EDT ⋅ Sep 8, 2024

    Taras (View Comment):

    TBA, sometimes known as ‘Teebs… (View Comment):

    Dr. Bastiat (View Comment):

    Mark Camp (View Comment):
    It must tell us something about God’s nature and his relationship to us, and about the relationship of science to the human mind and to pure math and logic.

    This was JS Bach’s view. He wrote music as a tribute to God, and thus sought perfect mathematical symmetry in his music, as such perfection would surely please our perfect God. The more I read about the way he designed his music, the more fascinated I became. Until I tried to listen to it.

    I lack the understanding and the background to appreciate it. So I view Bach’s compositions as one of mankind’s greatest achievements, but I don’t enjoy them myself.

    Bach was one smart dude. Amazing stuff. But I enjoyed reading about his music more than listening to his music.

    “Wagner’s music is better than it sounds.” – Mark Twain

    Can’t say much about Wagner, but the trick with Bach is to understand that there isn’t one kind of “Bach music”. There are a hundred kinds. When you say you don’t like it, you really mean you simply haven’t run into the pieces that you would like.

    An example off the top of my head, he wrote cantatas about the death of Christ, as well about a girl addicted to coffee (considered somewhat disreputable at the time). Some of his instrumental works are light and sparkling; others suitable for funerals. (Not to mention horror movies!)

    Bach left us over a thousand works, so there’s something for everybody.

    I’m partial to the sacred works myself.  He wrote cantatas for every Sunday and major feast in the Lutheran Church year.

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