Werckmeister III vs. Kirnberger III
Compare the tuning characteristics of Werckmeister III and Kirnberger III — cent deviations per note, practical guidance, and historical context.
At a Glance
| Feature | Werckmeister III | Kirnberger III |
|---|---|---|
| Category | well-temperament | well-temperament |
| Formula Type | cent-offsets | cent-offsets |
| Historical Era | Baroque | Classical |
| Key Advantage | All 24 major and minor keys are playable — each key has a distinct character. | Near-pure thirds in C, G, D, and A major — well-suited to Classical-era common keys. |
| Key Limitation | Simpler keys are purer than remote keys; not the brightest choice for remote tonality. | Remote keys have wider thirds; not ideal for music that ranges through all keys. |
| Typical Use | Baroque keyboard music, particularly works exploiting key color contrasts. | 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 Werckmeister III: positive means Kirnberger III is sharper.
| Note | Werckmeister III (¢) | Kirnberger III (¢) | Difference (¢) |
|---|---|---|---|
| C4 | +11.73 | +10.26 | -1.47 |
| Db4 | +1.96 | +0.49 | -1.47 |
| D4 | +3.91 | +3.42 | -0.49 |
| Eb4 | +13.69 | +13.69 | 0.00 |
| E4 | -1.96 | -3.42 | -1.46 |
| F4 | +9.78 | +13.69 | +3.91 |
| Gb4 | 0.00 | +0.98 | +0.98 |
| G4 | +7.82 | +6.85 | -0.97 |
| Ab4 | +3.91 | +3.91 | 0.00 |
| A4 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| Bb4 | +11.73 | +10.26 | -1.47 |
| B4 | -1.96 | -3.42 | -1.46 |
When to Choose Each
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.
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 Werckmeister III 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.
- Werckmeister III
- Developed by Andreas Werckmeister (1691) — Baroque era
- Kirnberger III
- Developed by Johann Philipp Kirnberger (1779) — Classical era
Compare Temperaments in Tunable — Get Tunable.
Tunable supports Werckmeister III, Kirnberger III, and 14 other tuning systems. Hear the difference in real-time as you play.
