Kirnberger III vs. Vallotti
Compare the tuning characteristics of Kirnberger III and Vallotti — cent deviations per note, practical guidance, and historical context.
At a Glance
| Feature | Kirnberger III | Vallotti |
|---|---|---|
| Category | well-temperament | well-temperament |
| Formula Type | cent-offsets | cent-offsets |
| Historical Era | Classical | Baroque / Classical |
| Key Advantage | Near-pure thirds in C, G, D, and A major — well-suited to Classical-era common keys. | Balanced well-temperament: natural keys pure, remote keys gently colored. |
| Key Limitation | Remote keys have wider thirds; not ideal for music that ranges through all keys. | Less dramatically distinct key character than Werckmeister III. |
| Typical Use | Classical keyboard music in common-practice keys, particularly CPE Bach-era repertoire. | Late Baroque and Classical keyboard music; popular choice for historically-informed performances. |
Cent Deviations: All 12 Notes vs. Equal Temperament
Positive cents = sharper than equal temperament. Negative = flatter. Difference column shows Vallotti minus Kirnberger III: positive means Vallotti is sharper.
| Note | Kirnberger III (¢) | Vallotti (¢) | Difference (¢) |
|---|---|---|---|
| C4 | +10.26 | +5.87 | -4.39 |
| Db4 | +0.49 | +1.96 | +1.47 |
| D4 | +3.42 | +1.96 | -1.46 |
| Eb4 | +13.69 | +7.82 | -5.87 |
| E4 | -3.42 | -1.96 | +1.46 |
| F4 | +13.69 | +7.82 | -5.87 |
| Gb4 | +0.98 | 0.00 | -0.98 |
| G4 | +6.85 | +3.91 | -2.94 |
| Ab4 | +3.91 | +3.91 | 0.00 |
| A4 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| Bb4 | +10.26 | +5.87 | -4.39 |
| B4 | -3.42 | -3.91 | -0.49 |
When to Choose Each
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.
Choose Vallotti when:
Choose Vallotti 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 Kirnberger III and Vallotti 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.
- Kirnberger III
- Developed by Johann Philipp Kirnberger (1779) — Classical era
- Vallotti
- Developed by Francesco Vallotti (c. 1754) — Baroque / Classical era
Compare Temperaments in Tunable — Get Tunable.
Tunable supports Kirnberger III, Vallotti, and 14 other tuning systems. Hear the difference in real-time as you play.
