Ann Bond

Wow, I had thought of the harpsichord as a musically interesting sound, but inferior to the piano in capability of expression. This book corrected me - The means of expression is different, and even the fingering is different! She identifies the sound from Flemish and Italian harpsichords as very different. Related instruments such as the virginal are described. I read this book through, but since I would enjoy learning to play the Harpsichord, it feels like it would be useful over years of study to try out the many concepts described in it.

In the beginning of the book there are many comparisons to the piano, but not much comparison with the organ.

"Articulation is an endlessly engrossing topic, but there is always a risk of being too dogmatic, and trying to describe it analytically runs the risk of killing the subject - " (Page 68)

"Remember that, although there may be a few palpably ugly articulation, several good ones exist for any given phrase. If you find you cannot decide between two possible articulation, do no worry unduly ...: let the two coexist - pull against, counterbalance, and complement each other. Your playing will be enriched merely by feeling the presence of these opposing elements." (Page 69)

"A tape recorder is a useful adjunct to all your technical practice, but an honest and attentive ear is less expensive and much more valuable in the long run. Listen to yourself - to what you are really doing, not to what you think you are doing, or would like to be doing." (Page 70)

"I begin by repeating that relaxation is vital to effective performance. A tense hand - symptoms of a tense mind - produce hard unforgiving playing, that not surprisingly, is intense rather than expressive." (Page 84)

Chapter 9 is on fingering, and enlightened me that fingering is crucial on the harpsichord, because we don't use the sustain pedal to cover up when the hand is lifted from the keyboard. "As you work your your fingering, write them in: ... on every salient note, thumb turn, extension or contraction of the hand, and every place where you repeat a finger. ... Only those gifted people with a natural keyboard facility can afford to live dangerously: for everybody else, fingering involves habit and repetition." (Page 100)

"Conviction covers a multitude of sins, but if you sound doubtful, no one will be impressed, even if you ar theoretically correct. (Page 163)

"Movements written mainly in dotted rhythms can pose problems on the harpsichord, and they need to be played with particular confidence and cleanness. There is a temptation always to slur the short note to the long one, because it is easiest to do but if done constantly this tends to impart a lurching effect to the music, whereas poise and buoyancy is more likely required." (Page 164)

"In all these cases the repeats should ideally be observed; to do so will reveal the true proportions of the work, and give time for its ideas to make their full impact. Some performers reduce the scale of French baroque music to a minimum by omitting repeats and then wonder why it sounds slight." (Page 166)

"Telemann' music ... Written for amateurs rather than professional court musicians... it's outlook is overtly relaxed and pleasurable." (Page 176-177)

"Most exotic, most poignant, and capriciously brilliant, the sonatas of Domenico Scarlatti are loved by every harpsichordist. ... Some pianists certainly perform them with crisp and exciting results; but only the rich harmonic structure of the harpsichord tone can fully reveal the true colors of this music and suggest its inscrutable yet beguiling mixture of aristocratic poise, mercurial wit, and wayward melancholy." (Page 179)

Page 181 lists several sources for Scarlatti music for the beginner.

"Scarlatti's music appeals to the ear, not the eye. In terms of musical grammar, his writing is full of loose ends - unresolved discords, parts that disappear and so on." (Page 182)

"If you develop an ear for dissonance and its resolution, you will find that compositions acquire sharper relief and a greater sense of light and shade." (Page 190)

Chapters
1 Setting the Scene
2 The Mechanics of the Harpsichord
3 Harpsichord Building in the Past
4 The Eclipse and Rebirth of the Instrument
5 Starting to Play the Harpsichord
6 Articulation in Harpsichord Music
7 A Musical Interlude
8 Techniques for the More Experienced Player
9 Fingering
10 Issues of Historical Performance Practice
11 Discovering the Repertory: How to Choose and Buy Music
12 The English Style
13 The Italian Style
14 The French Style
15 French Baroque Style in Performance
16 The German Style
17 The Spanish Style
18 A Commonsense View of Ornamentation
19 First Steps in Continuo Playing
20 Simple Facts About Pitch, Tuning and Temperament
21 Care, Maintenance, and Tuning of the Harpsichord
Appendix A: Twentieth-Century Harpsichord Music
Appendix B: Useful Information
Bibliography
Index… (més)