ABSTRACT
AARON [ARON], PIETRO (CA. 1480-CA. 1550) Italian musician and music theorist. Although born in Florence, where Aaron claims to have known Agricola, Isaac, Josquin, and Obrecht, there is no record of his life prior to 1515, when he was cantor at the cathedral in Imola, a position he held for seven years. He then moved to Venice, where he was employed by Sebastiano Michiel, Grand Prior for the Order of St. John of Jerusalem, becoming its musical director. In 1536 Aaron took orders and moved into a monastery in Bergamo (where he died) . Aaron provided, in his treatise Toscanello in musica, the first instructions for tuning keyboard instruments that can rather securely be interpreted as MEANTONE TEMPERAMENT. The work was so popular that it was reprinted as late as 1562. See also Temperament
RUDOLF A. RASCH
ABGLITSCHEN (Ger., glide off, slip off.) A clavichord action in which the finger "slides off' the KEy FRONT for a clear, controlled TOUCH.
