Do classical pieces sound different today than the originals due to temperament?

Question

I was reading how classical music used to not be in equal temperament. So each of their keys sounded completely different and that's why they named their pieces after the keys they were playing. Whereas today because of equal temperament all major scales for example sound the same and are just differences in pitch. So I'm wondering: if a classical piece is played today in equal temperament, does it sound different and not as nice as the original composer intended it to be?

Answer 1

Correct. It sounds rather different. The effect is a subjective opinion, but I prefer the effect of the historical tunings, which have more acoustically "pure" intervals (no 'beating' with certain 3rds/5ths etc).

Answer 2

Different, yes. Not as nice is a matter of opinion, of course. In practical terms, the differences are so slight that most people can't tell, which is why equal temperament was able to catch on. Also—instruments that can vary their pitch, such as string instruments, will often adjust their tuning to match the musical circumstances, so that individual chords will be tuned in just temperament rather than equal temperament.