First movement begins 0:14
Second movement begins 4:38
Third Movement begins 8:32
As outrageous as my registration pattern for Bach’s Italian Concerto may seem by today’s standards, bear in mind that when I performed it at Northwestern University on this very instrument in 1971, the same registration didn’t raise a single eyebrow in the musicology department.
24 Comments
I love the tone of this harpsichord! Does it have leather or delrin plectra? Revival harpsichords are my favorite.
Very nice!!! The registration seems perfectly fine; I wouldn't allow myself to be bullied by purists.
A great instrument that was made famous by the late great Fernando Valenti
The cars pass by, their drivers unaware of what´s happening inside that house. Like a secret machine, hidden inside a chest… a treasure that only a few ones appreciate today but which yet, will survive through the ages, far beyond what we know as modern music, far beyond our own lives.
ABSOLUTELY BEAUTIFUL INSTRUMENT!!!!
Ottima esecuzione
aguante el harpsichord!! que buen instrumento!
I used to despise bach on harpsichord…….. Used to! But over the last 2 years i have slowly warmed to it where now i very rarly play bach on piano setting now…..theres something about the harpsichord that grows on you through time……. This is a masterpiece and thank you for sharing.
I'm delighted that you have "converted" to harpsichord! I think some people have been turned off to the instrument through bad recordings, because harpsichord is very difficult to record properly. Many fine recorded performances are ruined by poor engineering. Thanks for your comment!
I wonder if Bach would have written any differently if he'd had access to instruments like this.
Hard to say, but I rather think not–all of my registration choices were based one what was written, but who knows? Also, an awful lot of registration changes would have been possible on an instrument like the magnificent three-manual harpsichord built by Hieronymus Albrecht Hass in 1740, on which Rafael Puyana made a number of dazzling recordings that are worth checking out.
One of my favorites. Thank you.
I see this is a John Challis instrument. Does it have an aluminium soundboard?
I cannot understand why those instruments are so despised nowadays. Beautiful sound, even if not the same than historically informed harpsichords. Thank you for sharing!
Unequal tuning.
Lurch the butler plays a Pleyel.
I have an Ammer "Bach" model. I'm making new jacks for it. The original plastic ones are breaking, especially when trying to get out the old leather quills that are firmly glued in. I'll re-use the end-pins, and tongue adjustment screws on the new jacks. Not crazy about about the disposition: 16',8' on lower, and 8',4' on upper, but I've toyed with the idea of turning it into 3×8', 1×4'. The lower 8' , and 16', are the same length; they share the same nut and bridge, pinned together on top, a little over 1/8 inch apart!!
Glad to see people like you keep the harpsichord alive. Nearly obsolete because of the piano but still has its own unique and elegant character, perfect for baroque music!
This harpsichord has a cute sound.
I'm glad you like it! Challis instruments certainly have their own unique sound, which Challis readily acknowledged was not the same as antique instruments. Rather it was the sound he wanted. As I see it, a 16th-century Italian harpsichord sounds different than a 17th-century Flemish instrument, which sounds different than an 18th-century French harpsichord or an early-19th-century English instrument. So why shouldn't a 20th-century American harpsichord have its own sound?
This doesn’t sound bad for a 60s revival harpsichord, I’ve noticed others sound like toy keyboards
I like how it sounds. Somewhat cute and more chill tempo in 3rd movement suits it very nice
Are these hard to find? I want a double manual, and historical copies are super expensive. Pluss I like this sound and was just reading about the builder.
I wish that you could purchase a harpsichord for a similar price as a new piano. It has less moving parts and mechanisms and uses less material. It also weighs considerably less than a modern piano, even a cheap spinet. Whaaaaa! I miss playing. I've got to get a new one soon.