The Meantone family of
temperaments strives for extremely clean major thirds in 8 keys,
pushing all imperfection into the four remaining major thirds. Theoretically correct
meantone temperaments have eleven fifths exactly the same size. Another
characteristic
is the augmented fifth (actually a diminished sixth) at Ab, the
"wolf" fifth. In any meantone
temperament, one-third of the
potential harmony was intolerable.
Aaron: 1/4 syntonic comma.
Zarlino: 2/7 syntonic comma.
Huygens: Based on 31 equal divisions of the octave.
Keller: Almost 1/5 Ditonic. A German harpsichordist who lived in England. He wrote:
"Sharp thirds must be as sharp as the ear will permit, and all fifths as flat as the
ear will permit." Keller had equal-beating major triads.
Romieu: 1/7 comma.
Marsh: 4/25 syntonic. Although Well temperament was quite
prominent, Marsh's
philosophy was that is better to have only two-thirds of the keyboard harmony
tolerably in tune… he disapproved of tempering for the sake of the characters of the keys.