Johann Philipp Kirnberger
(1721-1783) was a musician, composer (primarily of
fugues), and music theorist. A pupil of
Johann Sebastian Bach, he became a violinist at the
court of
Frederick II of Prussia in
1751. Many of Bach's manuscripts have been preserved in
his library (the 'Kirnberger collection').
He is known today primarily for his theoretical work "Die Kunst des reinen Satzes in der Musik" (the art of clean composition in music, 1774, 1779). The well-tempered tuning known as 'Kirnberger III' is associated with his name, as is a rational version of equal temperament (see schisma).