| Contents |
Part I: The fourteenth and fifteenth centuries. From psaltery and monochord to harpsichord and virginal. Hermann Poll and the clavicembalum ; The psaltery and the monochord ; Iconographical evidence of the harpsichord ; A digression on pitch and scale ; The manuscript of Henri Arnaut ; Clavichords and virginals ; The Royal College of Music clavicytherium -- Part II: The sixteenth century. The emergence of the northern harpsichord. Archival records ; Germany and the Müller harpsichord ; Antwerp and the virginals of Ioes Karest ; France ; England and the Theewes claviorganum -- Antwerp harpsichord building between Karest and Ruckers. Antwerp ; The surviving virginals ; A virginal by Hans Ruckers ; The surviving grands -- Early Italian style. The earliest Italian harpsichords ; Harpsichords, Italian style ; Virginals and spinets ; Italian scales ; Decoration ; Venice and the tradition of opulence ; Milan ; Naples and elsewhere -- Part III: The seventeenth century. The Ruckers-Couchet dynasty. The Ruckers-Couchet family ; Virginals ; Single-manual harpsichords ; Double-manual harpsichords ; The harpsichord/virginal combination ; The late Couchet instruments ; The decoration of harpsichords and virginals ; The Flemish harpsichord as a cultural icon -- Later Italian style. New developments in the seventeenth century ; Rome ; Florence ; Naples and elsewhere ; Anonymous instruments -- Seventeenth-century international style. Characteristics of international style ; Regional distinctions -- France. Virginals and spinets ; Harpsichord making in Paris ; Lyons and elsewhere -- Germany and Austria. Virginals and spinets ; Harpsichords ; Austria -- England. Virginals ; Bentside spinets ; Harpsichords -- Part IV: The eighteenth century. The decline of the harpsichord. Florence ; Rome and elsewhere -- The Iberian peninsula. Spain ; Maria Barbara's inventory ; Later Spanish instruments ; Portugal ; The Portuguese piano tradition -- Harpsichord building in France up to the Revolution. Revalement ; The development of the classic French harpsichord ; The Ruckers-inspired French double ; Decoration ; The Blanchet-Taskin dynasty ; Other Paris builders ; Lyons and elsewhere ; The late French harpsichord -- The Low Countries in the post-Ruckers era. Antwerp ; Tournai ; Elsewhere -- Germany, Scandinavia, Austria, and Switzerland. Rivals of the harpsichord ; Hamburg ; Scandinavia ; Berlin ; Hannover and Brunswick ; Gross Breitenbach ; Dresden ; Freiberg ; Augsburg ; Austria ; Switzerland -- Great Britain and America. Harpsichord building from 1700 to 1725 ; Hermann Tabel ; Shudi, Kirkman, and their competitors ; The Ruckers-inspired English harpsichord ; Developments after 1760 ; Bentside spinets ; Scotland and Ireland ; America -- Part V: The nineteenth and twentieth centuries. The harpsichord hibernates. Some builders ; The harpsichord played and preserved ; Historicism and antiquarianism ; Collectors and collections ; Leopoldo Franciolini and the collectors -- The harpsichord revival from the Paris Exposition to World War II. The Paris Exposition of 1889 and French builders ; The "Bach" harpsichord and German builders ; Arnold Dolmetsch and the English harpsichord ; Wanda Landowska and her Pleyel ; America and John Challis -- The modern harpsichord. Historically informed builders: Gough, Hubbard, and Dowd ; Authenticity with stability: Herz, Schütze, and Rutkowski and Robinette ; Built to last: De Blaise, Morley, and Sabathil ; The serien builders: Ammer, Neupert, Wittmayer, and Sperrhake ; New directions: John Challis and John Paul ; The electronic harpsichord: Wittmayer, Baldwin, and the electronic keyboard ; Kits -- Into the future. |
| Contents |
Accompanying CD contents: Why ask you / Giles Farnaby (Colin Tilney, 1580 spinett virginal by Maren van der Biest) -- My Lady Nevill's ground / William Byrd (Chris Farr, 1639 Andreas Ruckers harpsichord) -- La Volta / William Byrd (Sharon Gould, 1568 Marco Jadra virginal) -- Toccata / Giovanni Picci (Byron Schenkman, 1662-82 Giacomo Ridolfi harpsichord) -- Tedesca dita la proficia / Marco Facoli (Sharon Gould, anon. ca. 1600 octave spinet) -- Les rozeaux / Franco̧is Couperin (Sharon Gould, 1681 Vaudry harpsichord) -- Toccata Nona / Girolamo Frescobaldi (Zsuzsa Pertis, anon. German harpsichord) -- Les Buffons / John Bull (Peter Williams, 1668 Stephen Keene virginal) -- Toccata in G : Andante con gran espressione / João de Sousa Carvalho (Susanne Skyrm, 1767 Antunes piano) -- La Forqueray / Jacques Duphly (Arthur Hass, 1785 Jacques Hermain harpsichord) -- First suite : Adagio / Joseph Hector Fiocco (Ton Koopman, 1763 Jacob van den Elsche harpsichord) -- Goldberg variations : Variation 16 / Johann Sebastian Bach (Alan Curtis, 1728 Christian Zell harpsichord) -- Almand in G / William Croft (Richard Burnett, ca. 1700 Cawton Aston Spinet) -- Sonata no. 7 : Presto ; Andante ; Allegro / Thomas Arne (Richard Burnett, 1756 Jacob Kirkman harpsichord) -- Zadok the priest : Introduction / George Frideric Handel ; arr. Kenneth Mobbs (Kenneth Mobbs, 1785 Longman and Broderip harpsichord) -- Italian concerto : Allegro / Johann Sebastian Bach (Wanda Landowska, Pleyel harpsichord) -- Duetto in F / Johann Sebastian Bach ( Zuzana Růžičková, Neupert harpsichord) -- Sonsyd 35, 36 / Domenico Scarlatti (Ralph Kirkpatrick, Challis harpsichord) -- Suite in C : Passacaille / Louis Couperin (Katherine Roberts, 1987 John Phillips harpsichord (after Nicholas Dumon, 1707)). |
| Abstract |
This book brings together for the first time more than 200 photographs, illustrations, and drawings of harpsichords in public museums and private collections throughout Europe the United States. Edward L. Kottick draws on his extensive technical knowledge and experience as a harpsichord builder to detail the changing design, structure, and acoustics of the instrument over six centuries. Based on painstaking research, the book considers the place of the instrument in society and vividly describes the market forces that brought about changes in its form, decoration, and cultural importance. An accompanying CD includes performances on several of the historical instruments described and illustrated in the volume, including a 1580 spinett virginal by Martin van der Biest and instruments built by Ruckers and Pleyel. The volume devotes attention to American harpsichord design as well as to present and future uses of the instrument. |
| Bibliography note | Includes bibliographical references (pages 523-540) and index. |
| LCCN | 2002006385 |
| ISBN | 0253341663 (alk. paper) |
