I was very interested to see a short article in the Sept/Oct 2006 American Record Guide called "Cracking the Bach Code." The code that was "cracked" refers to what had previously been considered an ornamental drawing on the title page of the 1722 WTC. Researchers have concluded that the variety of letter sizes, their distance from one another, and the odd asymmetrical looping figures beneath them combine to reveal a "very practical, clear and precise tuning system for Western diatonic music, presented in diagram form." This tuning system is then implemented on a Musica Omnia CD of the WTC performed by Peter Watchorn on a harpsichord outfitted with pedals. The author, Peter Catalano, concludes that: "The pedal instrument and the Bach tuning, in tandem, create a kind of chimera that combines elements of organ, piano and the conventional harpsichord." He is highly impressed with the resulting "unexpected grandeur never associated with harpsichords." I don't understand the details or mathematics of the various styles of tuning. And my ear is not good enough to distinguish among them. I do understand the reasons that equal temperament prevailed. Still, along with Catalano, I think that having all the keys sound basically the same is the "price of progress." It feels to me like a heavy price to pay. It is beyond me why this doesn't bother more musicians. Isn't it robbing music of an essential component that composers surely took into account and prided themselves on managing? Zeke