Kellner's Bach vs. Werckmeister III
Compare the tuning characteristics of Kellner's Bach and Werckmeister III — cent deviations per note, practical guidance, and historical context.
At a Glance
| Feature | Kellner's Bach | Werckmeister III |
|---|---|---|
| Category | well-temperament | well-temperament |
| Formula Type | cent-offsets | cent-offsets |
| Historical Era | Baroque (reconstruction) | Baroque |
| Key Advantage | Pure-leaning C major triad; strong tonal center for common-practice Baroque keys. | All 24 major and minor keys are playable — each key has a distinct character. |
| Key Limitation | Remote keys (sharps side) become noticeably bright; not ideal for chromatic Baroque works. | Simpler keys are purer than remote keys; not the brightest choice for remote tonality. |
| Typical Use | Baroque organ music and harpsichord repertoire centered on flat and natural keys. | Baroque keyboard music, particularly works exploiting key color contrasts. |
Cent Deviations: All 12 Notes vs. Equal Temperament
Positive cents = sharper than equal temperament. Negative = flatter. Difference column shows Werckmeister III minus Kellner's Bach: positive means Werckmeister III is sharper.
| Note | Kellner's Bach (¢) | Werckmeister III (¢) | Difference (¢) |
|---|---|---|---|
| C4 | +8.21 | +11.73 | +3.52 |
| Db4 | -1.56 | +1.96 | +3.52 |
| D4 | +2.74 | +3.91 | +1.17 |
| Eb4 | +2.35 | +5.87 | +3.52 |
| E4 | -2.74 | +1.96 | +4.69 |
| F4 | +6.26 | +9.78 | +3.52 |
| Gb4 | -3.52 | 0.00 | +3.52 |
| G4 | +5.47 | +7.82 | +2.35 |
| Ab4 | +0.39 | +3.91 | +3.52 |
| A4 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| Bb4 | +4.30 | +7.82 | +3.52 |
| B4 | -0.78 | +3.91 | +4.69 |
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 Werckmeister III when:
Choose Werckmeister 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 Werckmeister 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
- Werckmeister III
- Developed by Andreas Werckmeister (1691) — Baroque era
Compare Temperaments in Tunable — Get Tunable.
Tunable supports Kellner's Bach, Werckmeister III, and 16 other tuning systems. Hear the difference in real-time as you play.
