Neidhardt Temperament vs. Vallotti
Compare the tuning characteristics of Neidhardt Temperament and Vallotti — cent deviations per note, practical guidance, and historical context.
At a Glance
| Feature | Neidhardt Temperament | Vallotti |
|---|---|---|
| Category | well-temperament | well-temperament |
| Formula Type | cent-offsets | cent-offsets |
| Historical Era | Baroque / Classical | Baroque / Classical |
| Key Advantage | Closest well-temperament to equal temperament — very flexible key use. | Balanced well-temperament: natural keys pure, remote keys gently colored. |
| Key Limitation | Minimal key color differentiation; the subtle differences may be inaudible on some instruments. | Less dramatically distinct key character than Werckmeister III. |
| Typical Use | Late Baroque through Classical repertoire where equal temperament proximity is preferred. | 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 Neidhardt Temperament: positive means Vallotti is sharper.
| Note | Neidhardt Temperament (¢) | Vallotti (¢) | Difference (¢) |
|---|---|---|---|
| C4 | +3.91 | +5.87 | +1.96 |
| Db4 | +1.96 | +1.96 | 0.00 |
| D4 | +1.96 | +1.96 | 0.00 |
| Eb4 | +3.91 | +7.82 | +3.91 |
| E4 | -1.96 | -1.96 | 0.00 |
| F4 | +5.87 | +7.82 | +1.95 |
| Gb4 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| G4 | +1.96 | +3.91 | +1.95 |
| Ab4 | +1.96 | +3.91 | +1.95 |
| A4 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| Bb4 | +3.91 | +5.87 | +1.96 |
| B4 | -1.96 | -3.91 | -1.95 |
When to Choose Each
Choose Neidhardt Temperament when:
Choose Neidhardt Temperament 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 Neidhardt Temperament 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.
- Neidhardt Temperament
- Developed by Johann Georg Neidhardt (1724) — Baroque / Classical era
- Vallotti
- Developed by Francesco Vallotti (c. 1754) — Baroque / Classical era
Compare Temperaments in Tunable — Get Tunable.
Tunable supports Neidhardt Temperament, Vallotti, and 14 other tuning systems. Hear the difference in real-time as you play.
