Kellner's Bach vs. Kirnberger III
Compare the tuning characteristics of Kellner's Bach and Kirnberger III — cent deviations per note, practical guidance, and historical context.
At a Glance
| Feature | Kellner's Bach | Kirnberger III |
|---|---|---|
| Category | well-temperament | well-temperament |
| Formula Type | cent-offsets | cent-offsets |
| Historical Era | Baroque (reconstruction) | Classical |
| Key Advantage | Pure-leaning C major triad; strong tonal center for common-practice Baroque keys. | Near-pure thirds in C, G, D, and A major — well-suited to Classical-era common keys. |
| Key Limitation | Remote keys (sharps side) become noticeably bright; not ideal for chromatic Baroque works. | Remote keys have wider thirds; not ideal for music that ranges through all keys. |
| Typical Use | Baroque organ music and harpsichord repertoire centered on flat and natural keys. | Classical keyboard music in common-practice keys, particularly CPE Bach-era repertoire. |
Cent Deviations: All 12 Notes vs. Equal Temperament
Positive cents = sharper than equal temperament. Negative = flatter. Difference column shows Kirnberger III minus Kellner's Bach: positive means Kirnberger III is sharper.
| Note | Kellner's Bach (¢) | Kirnberger III (¢) | Difference (¢) |
|---|---|---|---|
| C4 | +8.21 | +10.27 | +2.05 |
| Db4 | -1.56 | +0.49 | +2.05 |
| D4 | +2.74 | +3.42 | +0.69 |
| Eb4 | +2.35 | +4.40 | +2.05 |
| E4 | -2.74 | -3.42 | -0.68 |
| F4 | +6.26 | +8.31 | +2.05 |
| Gb4 | -3.52 | +0.49 | +4.01 |
| G4 | +5.47 | +6.84 | +1.37 |
| Ab4 | +0.39 | +2.44 | +2.05 |
| A4 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| Bb4 | +4.30 | +6.36 | +2.05 |
| B4 | -0.78 | -1.47 | -0.68 |
When to Choose Each
Choose Kellner's Bach when:
Choose Kellner's Bach for Baroque keyboard repertoire spanning multiple keys — especially works that tour the circle of fifths. Its varied key color gives each tonality a distinctive musical character.
Choose Kirnberger III when:
Choose Kirnberger III for Baroque keyboard repertoire spanning multiple keys — especially works that tour the circle of fifths. Its varied key color gives each tonality a distinctive musical character.
Historical Context
Both Kellner's Bach and Kirnberger III are well temperaments from the Baroque era, designed to make all 24 major and minor keys usable while preserving key-specific color. Both emerged as alternatives to meantone that allowed performance of works like Bach's Well-Tempered Clavier without re-tuning. They differ in how the Pythagorean comma is distributed across the circle.
- Kellner's Bach
- Developed by Herbert Anton Kellner (1977) — Baroque (reconstruction) era
- Kirnberger III
- Developed by Johann Philipp Kirnberger (1779) — Classical era
Compare Temperaments in Tunable — Get Tunable.
Tunable supports Kellner's Bach, Kirnberger III, and 16 other tuning systems. Hear the difference in real-time as you play.
