One of Johann Sebastian Bach's most famous creations is called "The Well-Tempered Clavier," or "HTK" for short. How should this heading be understood? He points out that all the works in the cycle are written for the clavier, which has a temperament, that is, which is typical for most modern musical instruments. What are its features, and how did it appear? You will learn about this and much more from the article.
General information
The temperament system assumes that each octave (the distance between notes of the same name with different heights) is divided into a certain number of equal intervals. In most cases of using such a stroyz, sounds are arranged in semitones. If you imagine a piano keyboard, then exactly this interval is equal to the distance between each adjacent key. The same can be said of any other keyboard, wind or other instrument.
For example, on a guitar between adjacent notes that are on the same string, the interval is a small second, which is equal to half a tone.
The value of temperament
The name of this system comes from the Latin root denoting the dimension. Therefore, this achievement can be attributed not only to the theory of music, but also to mathematics. Indeed, attempts to develop such a system since ancient times were made by people who were professionals in these two areas of knowledge, and also knew other sciences, for example, physics. And this is not surprising, since in this case a person is dealing with air vibrations that produce sounds.
Mathematical calculations helped researchers in this way to systematize the sounds that make up the octave in order to facilitate musicians some performing tasks. For example, the introduction of the temperamental structure of music has greatly simplified the transportation of works. Now playing the same composition in different keys does not require re-learning. If a person knows the basics of the theory of music and harmony, then he will be able to play the work in any key. Years of experience allows you to do this quickly enough.
Characteristics
Temperament turned out to be useful primarily in the performance of vocal music. With its introduction, the singers got the opportunity to perform works in the most convenient tone for them. So, the vocalists got rid of the need to overextend their vocal chords, taking too low or high notes, uncharacteristic for their range. Of course, such free use of musical material is not welcomed in all genres. First of all, it concerns classical music. For example, the performance of opera arias in other, not original keys, is considered unacceptable.
It is also unacceptable to transport symphonies, classical instrumental concerts, sonatas, suites and works of many other genres. Unlike pop music, tonality is much more important here. History knows examples of the presence of “color” musical hearing in some composers. That is, for these artists, each key was associated with a certain shade. Scriabin and Rimsky-Korsakov differed in this perception of music.
Other classical composers, although they did not have such a “color” perception of sound, nevertheless distinguished tonality by other characteristics (warmth, saturation, and so on). Transportation of their works into arbitrary keys is unacceptable, since it distorts the author’s intent.
Irreplaceable assistant
However, even such composers did not deny the importance of a uniformly-tempered system for the development of musical art. A free transition from one key to another has not only obvious “practical” benefits, as it allows performers to be comfortable playing and singing. With the right choice of tonality, the vocalist’s voice sounds much brighter and more natural than when he does his best to play notes uncharacteristic of his range (low or high).
The temperament system (and, therefore, the free change of keys) provides the ability to write works with a large number of tonal deviations and modulations. And this, in turn, is a vivid visual technique that has been widely used in classical music. With the advent of pop art, the use of modulations has become even more important. So, in jazz improvisations, harmonic sequences are often used, passing from one key to another. Therefore, the temperamental system can be called one of the engines of progress in music.
History
Theoretical research in the field of music began in ancient times. One of the first scientists who began to pay attention to the ranks was the ancient Greek mathematician Pythagoras. However, even before this prominent person was born, there were many musical instruments with an already formed system. People who played them often had no idea either of the physical properties of sound or of the basics of music theory. They studied their art, comprehending many of its wisdom intuitively.
That is, at that distant time, people, through trial and error, adopted the acoustic laws that underlie musical theory and harmony. And these sciences, as you know, are not inferior in their complexity to higher mathematics. One thinker subsequently said that musicians and composers are unconsciously engaged in solving complex physical and mathematical problems. The first serious researcher of these issues was the already mentioned Pythagoras.
Pythagoras system
An ancient Greek scientist conducted experiments with the sound of a simple musical instrument, which consisted of a wooden case and a sound source stretched over it - one single string.
He invented his own system, which was called Pythagorov. The sounds in it were arranged in pure fifths. The use of such a system allowed some instruments to reduce the number of strings. Prior to this, all the instruments were arranged like a harp, that is, each of their strings could produce only one note. Finger clamping was not applied. However, with the introduction of Pythagorov, the musicians still could not change the tonality of the whole work, or any part of it. This tuning system was used until the Middle Ages. Then the organs for the performance of church music were tuned according to the ancient Greek pattern. This system, in addition to the listed disadvantages, had two more disadvantages. Firstly, the scale in them was not closed. This means that starting to play the gamma from to, it was impossible to come to the same note, but of a higher octave.
And secondly, the instruments tuned in this way always had several so-called “wolf” sounds, that is, keys or frets, whose sound knocked the axis out of the key in which the entire instrument was tuned.
Music before the Baroque era
Musicians, composers, as well as masters involved in the manufacture of instruments, in the Middle Ages were busy constantly searching for the ideal system. Artists of strolling theaters were famous for their virtuoso playing the lutes. Comic verses on topical themes were performed to the accompaniment of this instrument. In search of a suitable tonality corresponding to the range of the voice, the artists had to rebuild their instrument, and this was not only due to the weakening or strengthening of the string tension, as it is today.
This procedure required a permutation of frets. They were not firmly attached to the fingerboard, as in modern guitars. Then they were replaced by tourniquets made of animal skin, and freely moving along the bar. So, during the restructuring of the instrument had to move these frets. It was no coincidence that in those days it was joked that the lute players spend a third of their lives tuning the instrument.
In addition, the concept of anharmonically equal sounds did not exist in the Pythagorean system. That is, the note “F sharp” sounded then not like “flat salt”.
Different variants
A tuning system that is close to modern appeared in the time of Johann Sebastian Bach.
It was called the "well-tempered system." What was its essence? As already mentioned, before that there were no anharmonically equal sounds. That is, if a modern piano existed then, then between the keys “to” and “re” there should have been two black ones: “to a sharp” and “D flat”, instead of the current one that performs both of these functions.
At the time of Johann Sebastian Bach, music in keys with a large number of sharps and flats gained wide popularity. Composers began to use a tricky move - for ease of performance, they often made anharmonic replacements. For example, instead of “salt flat” they began to write “sharp” in the scores. But these notes were not equal to each other at that time. That is, their sound, albeit not much, but was different. Therefore, listening to such music caused people a sense of slight discomfort.
Inaccurate but convenient
But soon a way out of this situation was found. Two notes, located between adjacent steps of the scale, replaced one, which was located between them. This sound was only approximately equal to these two notes, or rather, it was their average value. But, nevertheless, such an innovation opened up opportunities for composers and performers.
Natural structure and tempered
Natural is called such a system, which contains only the main stages of the scale. The relationships between them are as follows: two tones - semitone - three tones - semitone. According to this scheme, the simplest folk instruments are tuned: flutes, pipes, and so on.
On each of them you can play only in two keys - major and minor.
The emergence of a new system
In the 18th century, several music theorists proposed the introduction of a new system. In it, the octave was divided into 12 notes, lagging behind each other exactly half a tone. Such a system is called the equally temperamental system. She had many supporters, but there were also enough severe critics. The role of the creator of the temperamental system is attributed to several people at once. Most often in this regard, the names of Heinrich Gramateus, Vincenzo Galilei and Maren Marsenn sound.
Contradiction
To the question "What system is called uniformly temperamental?" the following answer may be considered quite complete: "This is a system where the octave contains twelve notes arranged in semitones." Some critics of this approach to tuning the instruments said that it is not perfectly accurate and the natural structure sounds much cleaner. It is in this system that amateur musicians from the people sing and play. In the memoirs of the writer, composer and music theorist Vladimir Odoevsky, one can find a story about how he once invited one such singer to his house. When Odoevsky began to accompany the guest, he heard that the temperament of the piano did not coincide with the notes that this man sang.
After that incident, the composer tuned his piano in a different way. Its sound is close to natural.
Conclusion
It happened in the nineteenth century. But until now, disputes between supporters and opponents of the evenly temperamental system in music have not stopped. The first of them protect the possibility of a free transition in different keys, and the second advocate the purity of the instrument settings. There are also other, more exotic customization options. An example is the microtone guitar. But the overwhelming number of instruments in the world still has a uniformly temperamental system.