Who composed The Well-Tempered Clavier?

Fact

Did you know?

Johann Sebastian Bach composed two books of The Well-Tempered Clavier, each comprising twenty-four preludes and fugues covering all major and minor keys. The first book was completed in 1722 and the second about twenty years later. These pieces demonstrate the possibilities of tuning allowing playing in distant keys without unusable intervals. The expression "well-tempered", however, does not prove that Bach used modern equal temperament, which divides the octave into twelve exactly equal semitones. Several unequal but circulating temperaments were then available. The work remains fundamental for the study of the keyboard, counterpoint and harmony.