Well temperament

1. Is well temperament the same as equal temperament?
2. What temperament did Bach use?
3. What is a well tempered scale?
4. Did Bach invent equal temperament?

Is well temperament the same as equal temperament?

Well temperament represented a departure from the various meantone tunings that were used in earlier music. ... Equal temperament is appropriate for some music of the 20th century, especially atonal music, and music based on the whole tone scale, but not for the works of the 18th and 19th centuries.

What temperament did Bach use?

In more recent times, Johann Sebastian Bach has been seen, on the one hand, as a pioneer of Equal Temperament [8] and, on the other, as a proponent of unequal Well Temperaments. In this latter regard, suggested temperaments have included those of Werckmeister [9] and Kirnberger [10].
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What is a well tempered scale?

As used in the 17th century, the term "well tempered" meant that the twelve notes per octave of the standard keyboard were tuned in such a way that it was possible to play music in all major or minor keys that were commonly in use, without sounding perceptibly out of tune.

Did Bach invent equal temperament?

Bach did not use equal temperament. In fact, in his day there was no way to tune strings to equal temperament, because there were no devices to measure frequency.