Debatten om medeltonstemperatur : En studie om uppfattningen av medeltonstemperatur från renässansen till idag

Sammanfattning: There is a debate among scholars on whether meantone temperament is historically authentic or not for performances of early music today. The debate is in some ways a continuation of an already five hundred years ongoing debate on temperaments and their effects on music. On one side there are those who claim that meantone temperament was the only used temperament during the renaissance and that it was very prevalent during the baroque period too. It should therefore be the obvious choice for early music. On the other side the perception is that meantone temperament was always seen as the lesser of evils and that equal temperament not only is superior in its abilities, but also would have been preferred by most early composers and musicians. This ongoing debate is seldom heard of outside of its spheres, but as this essay shows it is very much a contributor to the views on historical temperaments most period performers hold today.