Lesser Known Harpsichord Music

[hermanberntzen]

Hello forum!

Can anyone recommend me any lesser known Harpsichord music?

Thanks..

Regards,

[pianoplayjl]

All the Sonatas by Scarlatti can be played on a harpsichord. Some other composers that I know of: Bach and his Harpsichord concerti and toccatas, and Handel, Duxhetude, Byrd, Purcell, etc. Basically most Harpsichord music is composed by Baroque music.

JL

[drkilroy]

Also be sure to try Jan Pieterszoon Sweelinck. This is early baroque and sounds a bit reneissance-like.

Best regards, Dr

[keyboardclass]

Hello forum!

Can anyone recommend me any lesser known Harpsichord music?

Pretty much the entire 18th century?

[iansinclair]

Yes indeed, Sweelinck.  In my humble opinion, really marvellous music. 

You might also see if you can track down a copy of The Fitzwilliam Virginal Book -- for a while, at least, it was available from Dover in a two volume version.  Not cheap.  But it has an amazing variety of mostly Elizabethan music all of which is quite suited for harpsichord (and not at all for piano, although of course it can be played on a piano; just the sound isn't right).  If nothing else the polyrhythmns in some of the pieces will keep you thinking for weeks...

[drkilroy]

I found The Fitzwilliam Virginal Book on IMSLP:

Link

That's a lot of Renaissance music. I love it!  Thank you very much.

Best regards, Dr

[bachbrahmsschubert]

Duxhetude,

Not to be a jerk, but his name is Buxtehude. He wrote mainly for organ.

Some big names composed for the Virginal in the late Renaissance and early Baroque periods. A quick Google search will give you more names, but here are a couple that come to mind that haven't been mentioned: Gibbons, Giovanni Picchi, Samuel Scheidt, John Bull.

Phillip Glass wrote a concerto for Harpsichord (I hate it). Also Poulenc, de Falla, and Martinu all wrote concertos. Even Ligeti wrote some works he intended for solo harpsichord. They're really unique.

Sweelinck, as mentioned, is great. He heavily influenced Bach. If you look through the toccatas that Sweelinck wrote, you'll notice they are incredibly similar to Bach's, but he simply expanded on the form.

[jmanpno]

As though any of it's well known.... Bolcom and Rorem.