I’m trying to understand how the different tuning systems and temperaments were used from the past.
Would people tune their instruments based on the key of the piece they were going to play? Is there a more common/standard base note that most people use when tuning?
For example, if using pure major temperament, the same chord of different keys can sound very different, based on the base note they tuned to. If I’m playing a piece in D major, but the instrument is tuned on the base note of C, the dominant chord would sound pretty bad. But if it’s tuned on the base note of D, it would sound pretty good.
So I’m wondering how would this be done in the past. Tuning between each piece that’s in a different key doesn’t sound very practical. Or maybe they always group them base on keys? If I find a random harpsichord in the early baroque period, what would be the most likely base note they used to tune it?
I hope I’ve made the question clear. Any sources to look to would be appreciated too. Thanks in advance for answering.