Some clues in harpsichord maintenance 20Sep09 | 0

Titus Crijnen renews his website, and will now include a section on maintenance of harpsichords. All harpsichord players must face this side of our profession, and we all have looked for clues everywhere (the best information coming through practice). So I am personally very happy to have the advice of such a proffesional so close at hand.

It is very nice to see that a maker instills us with this philosophy of “do it yourself” to have the instrument we receive at home like the day it arrived.

The first chapter (on how to fight the consequences of humidity change) is easy, clear, and very practical. Looking forward to read more…

An unfortunate statement 18Sep09 | 0

“Much in [J.S. Bach's] music can no longer appeal to the feeling of our time. Bach did not know about the innumerable stages of passion, sorrow and love, and never thought that one could reproduce them in music.”

E. d’Albert (ed.), Preface to Das Wolhtemperierte Klavier, [Theil 1] (Stuttgart, 1907)

Scores archive: 4th Brandenburg 17Sep09 | 0

The basso continuo part I prepared for myself last January, when we performed Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto no.4 (BWV 1049). It was a very nice project (appart from the music itself) because I think it was the first one that arose in the kitchen of our house in Utrecht, while having dinner with my roommates: two recorders and a violin…, I suposse it was going to happen, we were the perfect instrumental set for this piece.

A pity our violinist got worryingly sick for the final performance…, and now he is in Brussels. We should definitely recover this music when he’s back next winter.

With this upload, I also inaugurate a section for J.S. Bach!

Brandenburg Concerto no.4, BWV 1049 (after Bach’s autograph, 1721) - basso continuo part

who said...

"[Beethoven] went in his usual (I might say, ill-bred) manner to the instrument as if half-pushed, picket up the violoncello part of Steibelt's quintet in passing, placed it (intentionally?) upon the stand upside down and with one finger drummed out a theme of the first few measures. Insulted and angered, he improvised in such a manner that Steibelt left the room before he finished, would never again meet him and, indeed, made it a condition that Beethoven should not be invited before accepting an offer."

F.W. Wegeler & F. Ries, Biographische Notizen über Ludwig van Beethoven (Koblenz, 1838)

"[...] the king [Charles II of Spain] eagerly asked me if I had heard Matheuchi sing, when he would come, and if he was impertinent or not, and as if there were no army in the world, nor Milanese state, completely forgot such matters, but this is not surprising given that all his ministers, or most of them, have had the same experience [...]"

Letter of Carlos Felipe Spinola y Colonna to the duke of Medinaceli (1698)

"I was in St Alban's Abbey and I was intrigued: they were building a new organ and I went up to - I suppose it must have been - the verger and I said, 'Is the organ baroque?' And he said, 'No, it's in perfectly good order.'"

John Tavener, The Music of Silence, A Composer's Testament (Faber ISBN 0571200885)

"The Second Harpsichordist will go only to the last rehearsal, sending the Third One to the previous, who won't read more high Clef than Soprano, trying to play without using the Thumbs, don't follow the Numbers, play always the Sixth, don't meet up with the Master, and close all the second Parts of Arias with major thirds, etc. etc. etc."

Benedetto Marcello, Il teatro alla moda (1720)