*_Liner notes by Dr. Joseph Braunstein 1/4_* It was at a festive assembly during the Beethoven Centenary In Vienna (1927), after Hermann Abert and Romain Rolland had addressed that most distinguished international audience, that Edward Joseph Dent elected to speak on Henry Purcell and his opera Dido and Aeneas. Said Dent: "It may to many people seem strange that an opera by an English composer of 250 years ago should be performed at a Festival in honor of Beethoven. Beethoven was keenly interested in England and the English, but it is hardly likely that he ever heard the name of Purcell, and we may be certain that he had not the least knowledge of his music, unless the theory be accepted that Purcell was the composer of 'God save the King'-a theory which is by no means inconceivable, although very little evidence has yet been brought forward to support It. Nonetheless, we may certainly count Purcell among Beethoven's musical ancestors. No one will deny the immense admiration which Beethoven had for Handel, nor the unmistakable influence of Handel's music on the later works of Beethoven; and just as Beethoven's third period was influenced by Handel, so Handel himself attained a 'third period' which shows the unmistakable influence of Henry Purcell." In regarding Purcell as one of Beethoven's musical ancestors, Professor Dent went perhaps a bit too far in his enthusiasm for his fellow-countryman. Purcell was an all-around composer, and his greatness as a creator cannot be minimized. However, the center of gravity in his oeuvre lies in his works for the stage and his numerous contributions to musica sacra, as well as in his many songs. His opera Dido and Aeneas is greatly admired by modern audiences, while King Arthur, created in collaboration with John Dryden, was defined by Dent as an attempt to create a genuine Gesamtkunstwerk in which drama, music and dance are closely interwoven. Purcell's English "Te Deum" (1694), which was sung every year in St. Paul's Cathedral at the Festival of the Sons of the Clergy, held a monopoly until 1713 when Handel's Utrecht "Te Deum" was presented. No musical setting of the "Te Deum" in English has been created for more than a century which can challenge the supremacy of the settings of Purcell and Handel. Compared to Purcell's works on a large scale-the compositions for the theater, anthems and odes, popular snogs and duets, catches and the chamber works for strings - the comparatively small amount of harpsichord pieces seems to indicate that he lacked a strong incentive to devote more effort to this particular genre. As a son of a Gentleman of the Chapel Royal, Purcell started his career as a 'Child in the Chapel Royal' under Charles II (1660-1685), and received as such the official outfit, which consisted of two suits of plain cloth, two hats and hat-bands, four whole shirts, four half shirts, six bands, six pairs of cuffs, six handkerchiefs, four pairs of stockings, four pairs of shoes and four pairs of gloves. Later, in addition to his singing duties, he received another assignment: he was appointed assistant to the "keeper, maker, mender, repairer, and tuner of regals, organs, virginals, flutes, and recorders and all other kinds of wind instruments whatsoever. ... " Purcell was then only 14 years old. However, this Nonsalaried appointment carried the definite stipulation that he succeeded the incumbent keeper of the post. He earned money as a part-time copyist and organ-tuner at Westminster Abbey. As a chorister he had received lessons from John Blow (1649-1708) and perhaps also from Matthew Locke (c. 1660-1677), the author of the first English work on through-bass: Melothesia, or Certain General Rules for Playing Upon A Continued Bass. Purcell's appointment in 1679 as organist at Westminster Abbey signifies the end of his apprenticeship and the attainment of a prominent official position during the Restoration. He still continued as the assistant to the instrument-keeper and repairer until the passing of the incumbent in 1683. In the same year he was named composer for the king's violins. This band was organized in emulation of the Vingt-quatre violons du Roi at the French court. The most famous member of the latter group was Jean Baptiste Lully. Charles II, who had spent years of his exile in France and observed this string body, had such a group formed in London. Every member of the violin family, thus also the viola and violoncello, were represented in this orchestra.
@canman5060
8 ай бұрын
My most favorite sounding pedal harpsichord played by one of the very the best harpsichordist.
@francoisfiniels9898
8 ай бұрын
Merci pour cet enregistrement et pour toutes contributions autour de Henry Purcell. J'aime beaucoup jouer Purcell au clavecin, autant que Haendel, mais je suis plus à l'aise dans le répertoire français de la même époque. Quand on se lance dans l'interprétaion d'un "ground" on est pris dans une sorte d'ensorcellement et l'on éprouve toujours l'envie de recommencer ! Votre chaine permet de ne pas oublier les "grands" clavecinistes successeurs de Wanda Landowska. Les talents sont nombreux et c'est un bonheur d'assister à la consolidation du succès de la musique baroque européenne avec toutes ses diversités ! Encore un chaleureux merci !!!!
@HarpsichordVinylGallery
8 ай бұрын
Vous êtes les bienvenus. C'est aussi un grand plaisir de remettre ces beaux interprètes de la littérature sur le clavecin sur scène. Malheureusement, de nombreux enregistrements du passé ne sont pas numérisés et cette riche histoire ne devrait pas être perdue.
@HarpsichordVinylGallery
8 ай бұрын
*_Liner notes by Dr. Joseph Braunstein 3/4_* Italian composers in the seventeenth century, however, applied the term partita to a series of variations, while in the eighteenth century, the term they used most for the suite as an assemblage of dance forms was sonata da camera. A multitude of dance forms of popular English, French , Italian, German and Spanish origin developed, and their assemblage became immensely popular because of the rhythmical and metrical variety of the individual dances. It was the German organist, harpsichordist and composer Johann Jacob Froberger (1616-1667) who, in fashioning the suite as an assortment of the German allemande, French or Italian courante, Spanish saraband and English gigue (jig) created herewith, the standard pattern. Although his pertinent compositions were published posthumously in 1693 and 1696 they had become known already around 1650 before Purcell was born. Whether Purcell had become acquainted with Froberger's harpsichord music has not been ascertained. Moreover no documentary evidence about Froberger's sojourn and activities in England has been unearthed. Purcell's models for the lessons were undoubtedly Locke's suites included in Melothesia, some of which show the order Allemande-Courante (Corant)-Gigue-Sarabande. This was actually the sequence which appears in Froberger's autographs. It was changed later to "mis en meilleur order" ('to put in better order') as a note on the first edition expresses it. Yet the composition of Purcell's suites deviates considerably from Froberger's specimens: in the forming of the opening item as a prelude; being mostly in cut line (in six numbers) and one in 3/4; and ironically in excluding the English Jig completely. In three instances (Nos. 3, 6 and 7) Purcell adopts a three-movement design without a saraband. It is difficult to believe that he proceeded from Froberger's models-more likely that the elements of the suite were imparted to him via Locke's Melothesia. Purcell's eight suites (lessons) of the Choice Collection include the following items : preludes (4/4 and once 3/4), almands (4/ 4), (wants (3/4 or 3/2), minuets (3/4), sarabands (3/4) and hornpipes (3/2 and 3/4). The latter, usually executed in a moderate tempo, was very popular in England from the 16th through the 19th centuries. Of special interest is the minuet of the first lesson in G major, which is considered one of the forebears of God Save the King. Some of the preludes are of a contrapuntal nature, foreshadowing Bach's three-part inventions. The dance pieces invariably display the binary design with a repeat of the subsections. There is no satisfactory explanation for Bel-Bar, the subtitle of the slow Almand of the seventh lesson in D minor. Bel-Bar is the name of a hamlet at the south end of Hatfield Park in Hertfordshire. The Hornpipe of this lesson (D minor, 3/ 4) is a transcription of a Hornpipe for Strings, No. 3 of the incidental music to The Married Beau by John Crowne, produced early in 1694. The transcription of music for keyboard from stage works occurs frequently. The minuet of the eighth suite in F major stems from the comedy The Double Dealer (No.3) by William Congreve, produced in November 1693 and published immediately thereafter. This incidental music also furnished the air (minuet) in D minor, ZT 676, on Side 4 (No.3) of this album. Space allows only a limited discussion of the numerous single items drawn from A Choice Collections of Lessons, The Second Part of Musick's Handmaid and other various sources. The Jig in D minor, ZT 686, is a transcription from Abdelazer, or the Moor's Revenge by [Mrs.] Aphra Behn, first given in 1676. Purcell's music (11 items) was obviously written for a revival in 1695. This score also yielded the Jig in D minor, ZT 686, on Side 3, the Air in G minor, ZT 693, on Side 5, and the Hornpipe in D minor, ZT 684, which the Purcell Society Edition designated as Rondo. This piece, showing a ABACA construction, has become widely known as the theme of Benjamin Britten's Variations and Fugue from "The Young Persons Guide to Orchestra." The Trumpet Tune in C major, called the Cibell, ZT 678, Originally probably written for trumpet and strings, has the quality of a gavotte. The source of the Trumpet tune in C major, ZT 697, is the opera The Prophetess, or the History of Dioclesian by either Thomas Betterton (1635?-171 0) or John Dryden (1631-1700), first performed in 1690. The music was published in 1691. Turning to the pieces from The Second Part of Musick's Handmaid, there is the Song tune in C major, ZT 694, which is a transcription of the song "Ah! how pleasant is love", Z 353; and the Song tune in C major, Z 695, is a transcription of Sylvia now your scorn give over (1688). A New Scotch Tune in C major (4/4), Z 655 , "found its way into the great stream of Scottish folk-songs" from which Haydn gleaned it as a duet for two violins and continuo accompaniment.
@leocomerford
8 ай бұрын
Lovely!
@ChildfreeMatto
8 ай бұрын
I do love the metallic sound that the Neupert possesses, a sound to make the purist's head spin. Harpsichord Vinyl Gallery, thank you very much for this wonderful upload. Work has been short staffed on my nightshift and this will relax my mind after a hectic shift. 😌
@HarpsichordVinylGallery
8 ай бұрын
Hopefully you will enjoy it
@ChildfreeMatto
8 ай бұрын
@@HarpsichordVinylGallery Thank you so much. Absolutely did enjoy. 😀
@tomfurgas2844
8 ай бұрын
This is one of my all-time favorite harpsichord albums. I bought it in 1977 and have been enjoying it ever since. I especially love the side with "Second Book Of Musick's Handmaid". Lovely short pieces brimming with melody. I still play many of those pieces to this day. Thanks for uploading this classic!
@HarpsichordVinylGallery
8 ай бұрын
You must have had it just when it was released. We thought about you in publishing this record-set, since you had asked it before. It is recorded very close to the strings, which I also like a lot. Sometimes (side 6) the recording or playing technique got a bit overenthusiastic in this delicate setting. But thanks for tipping this album, I really enjoyed it all the way and the documentation was fine too.
@tomfurgas2844
8 ай бұрын
@@HarpsichordVinylGallery I bought it at National Record Mart, a great store that had a first-rate selection of classical albums. I spotted the Purcell album and just had to have it. As I recall it was about $7 when I bought it, a real bargain. Of course all the Vox Box sets were excellent value. Thing is, I'm a sucker for anything that offers the "complete" works of any composer, and this tidy 3-LP set was perfect for my collection. Thanks for thinking of me and posting it! I wonder if Vox ever got around to issuing it on CD...? They should!
@HarpsichordVinylGallery
8 ай бұрын
@@tomfurgas2844 With that attitude, you have to watch out for all those Brilliant Classic 'Complete harpsichord recordings' of composers like Graupner (14 cd-set) or Krebs (6 cd-set). Hopefully this set of 3 LPs will be released on a digital platform in the future. KZitem labeled it still copyrighted while it sometimes stated copyright 'none'.
@tomfurgas2844
8 ай бұрын
@@HarpsichordVinylGallery Oh, I have the Graupner and Krebs sets! And F. Couperin, L. Couperin, Buxtehude, Bohm, Fux, et al. I am mad about the harpsichord and buy whatever I can find!
@HarpsichordVinylGallery
8 ай бұрын
@@tomfurgas2844 That is the way it should be to let these players survive. Pieter-Jan Belder once told me, that he promotes people to buy his recordings because those streaming services don't generate any income at all. Nowadays, there are hardly any hpsch-recitals where I always bought the recordings straight from the performer, and my house is piled up with CD's, which are also available at streaming services. So I have to admit I don't buy every new Goldberg variations any longer. But your attitude is the best one, although I wonder if you can listen to all those new releases properly.
@_PROCLUS
8 ай бұрын
Wonderful musician, so many creative powers ... Thank you so much for yet another great upload with THE János Sebestyén ... 💝💝💝 TY
@HarpsichordVinylGallery
8 ай бұрын
We have to thank Robert Tifft for this one as usual. I am glad you enjoy it.
@patricklynch1962
8 ай бұрын
Even though I have some of the pieces on other records, the track list and performance is such that I must find my own copy of this. This is right there with that Carlos Seixas record that has been my favourite on this channel.
@HarpsichordVinylGallery
8 ай бұрын
Nice to hear, and good luck with finding your own copy.
@patricklynch1962
7 ай бұрын
@@HarpsichordVinylGallery Thanks! There have been all kinds of wonderful discoveries on this channel!
@Lohensteinio
8 ай бұрын
Wunderbar wie immer
@HarpsichordVinylGallery
8 ай бұрын
*_Liner notes by Dr. Joseph Braunstein 4/4_* A new ground in C minor (4/4), ZT 682 (689), evolved from an alto solo in the ode "Welcome to all the pleasures," Z 339/3, the first major composition Purcell created for the St. Cecilia's celebrations. The three-measure chromatically descending ground is stated ten times. Lilliburlero. A New Irish Tune, Z 646, is in binary form (G major, 3/ 4). Purcell used the tune as a base for a Jig in the incidental music of The Gordian Knot Unty'd, performed in 168 , but the music is of an earlier date. Sefauchi's farewell in D minor (3/4), Z 656, a short binary piece of 24 measures, was written around 1684 when the outstanding castrato Giovanni Francesco Grossi, known as Siface, left England. Purcell had evidently made the acquaintance of the celebrated singer. Zimmerman ventured the assumption that through Siface Purcell may have come to know of other "famed Italian masters" with whom Siface had worked in Italy. The Canary in B fiat, ZT 677, corresponds to the "Third Act Tune" of The Indian Queen by John Dryden and Sir Robert Howard (J 695). There it appears in A major. Canary was designed to imitate the dance of the people of the Canary Islands. It is a quick dance propelled by dactylic rhythm, with the accent on the strong beat. The present album includes four specimens of a ground in which a short melodic phrase is frequently repeated as a bass line with changing upper parts, which were in England often improvised (Division). The ground was a favorite compositional category in British baroque music. Its structural principle is also represented in the Chaconne and Passacaglia. To begin our survey with the Chacone in G minor (3/4), ZT 680, on Side 3 we come across once more a transcription of a piece for strings. This is the Curtain tune from Timon von Athens to which Purcell, around 1694, contributed music for a masque which was added to the play. There are 21 statements of the 21-measure ground. The Ground in Gamut in G major (3/ 4), Z 645, contains 8 statements of the 8-measure ground. Thurston Dart has drawn attention to the bass, whose first measures (G-F sharp -E-D) anticipate the bass line upon which Bach built the theme for the Goldberg variations. The Ground in C minor (4/4), ZT 681, was transcribed from a solo of "Ye tune ful Muses", Z 344, which was probably composed in J 686 for the birthday celebration of James n. The 4-measure ground in common time, a typical walking bass in eighth-notes, occurs eight times. A new ground in E minor (4/4), ZT 682, discloses a similar picture regarding the bass line. Based on a 3-measure ground which is repeated nine times, the piece was transcribed from the ode Welcome to all the pleasures, Z 339. Composed in 1683, it was designed for St. Cecilia's Day. The ascription. ?f the Ground in C minor, Z 221, rests only on the opinion of William Barclay Squire, who took care of the harpsichord pieces for the edition of the Purcell Society. The ground, in common time, is three-and-a-half measures long and is stated eleven times. The hornpipes in B fiat, ZT 683, and in E minor (3/4), ZT 685, are also transcriptions, the former from the incidental music to Abdelazer, the latter from The Old Bachelor by William Congreve, produced in January 1693. The Saraband with division in A minor, Z 654, which appears in the edition of an 8-measure theme of the saraband rhythm and its accented second beat. There are four variations. The Queen's Dolour in A minor (4/4), Z 670, is not included in the "official" Purcell edition. The enigmatic title is considered authentic. The Air in D minor (4/4), ZT 675, a binary piece of 14 measures (4 plus 10) is derived from the opera The Indian Queen. Set for strings, it forms the last item of the score. The Air in D minor, ZT 676, 3/ 4, (Side 5), a short binary item of sixteen measures, is a transcription from a minuet of the music for the comedy The Double Dealer by William Congreve (1693). The March in C major, ZT 687 (on Side 3), is a transcription piece from the comedy The Married Beau by John Crowne, given with Purcell's music in 1694. The little Minuet in F major, ZT 688, constitutes a transcription of a Ritornello from "Raise, raise the voice", composed for the St. Cecilia's Day celebration in 1963. The New Minuet in D minor, ZT 689 (on Side 5), is a transcription of the song "Who can resist such mighty charms," with string (quartet) accompaniment, from Timon of Athens (677/ 78). The melodic line of the 20-measure piece stays within C sharp" and g ". The Song tunes in C major, ZT 694 and 695, are transcribed from Ah how pleasant 'tis to love (1688) and Sylvia now your scorn give over (1688). The Trumpet tunes in C major, ZT 697 and 698 (3/4 and 4/4 respectively), stem from Dioclesian and The Indian Queen. The polyphonic Verse in C major (4/ 4), Z 716, and Voluntary in C major (4/ 4), Z 717, for organ appear in the edition of the Purcell Society in the harpsichord section. There are four items (on Side 5) that are doubtfully ascribed to Purcell, namely a Ground in D minor (3/4), ZD 222, a Jig in G minor (6/4), ZD 223, Rigadoon in D minor (4/4) and a Trumpet Minuet in C major. DR. JOSEPH BRAUNSTEIN
@HarpsichordVinylGallery
8 ай бұрын
*_Liner notes by Dr. Joseph Braunstein 2/4_* The band, attired in scarlet livery, played at Charles II's coronation (April 23, 1661). The post of the composer of the king's violins was very prestigious and it seems astonishing that young Purcell was chosen to succeed Locke, one of the most distinguished musicians of the time. The king's violins played at court functions wherever His Majesty was in residence. They provided dinner and dance music and later took part in the service in the Chapel Royal. It was for such occasions that Purcell furnished music, particularly_ for the court balls. Unfortunately, his relevant contributions went with the day, and none of these pieces have come down to us. Perhaps one or the other of the dance pieces were later used for the harpsichord suites. Purcell's other string music (aside from items in his stage works and anthems), namely the sonatas and fantasias, was not the kind of music which would have appealed to the king, who did not like "heavy" music. Against the taste of his sovereign, Purcell favored the Italian style, as he stated in the preface to his Sonatas of III Parts, and endeavored a "just imitation of the most fam'd Italian Masters." How did Purcell become acquainted with the works of Italian composers? A considerable influx of Italian musicians, composers, singers and castratos had ventured to England. To give a few important examples, the violinist and guitarist Nicola Matteis settled in London in 1672. He published there three collections of violin pieces-airs, allemands, sarabands, etc., that is to say, forms which were elements of the suite. He also published a treatise (instruction) on how to play the thorough-bass on the guitar. The castrato Giovanni Francesco Grossi, commonly known as Siface, was enthusiastically acclaimed. Giovanni Battista Draghi (c.1640-c. 1710), harpsichordist, organist and composer, lived in London in the time of Purcell (1667-1706) and was organist of the Queen Catherine, wife of Charles II. Local publishers issued Italian music. Thomas Brown exclaimed in a poem addressed to Purcell: ___ In they production we would find ___Bassani's genio to Corelli's joined Whether Purcell in 1683 when his harpsichord sonatas appeared had come across compositions by Giovanni Battista Bassani (c.1657-1716) cannot be ascertained. Yet Corelli's Opus 1, Twelve Trio Sonatas, had appeared in 1681 and could have come to Purcell's attention. Although he held a prestigious post as organist, he did not feel the urge to channel his creative energies into this direction and produce a substantial amount of organ pieces. What about the harpsichord? It seems that the suggestion to compose music for the harpsichord was conveyed to him by publishers. This brings us to John Playford the elder (1623-1686) and his son Henry (1657 -c. I 709). The former had no rival in the field of music publishing in London and the catalog of the compositions issued by his firm would by and large include all the music created in England through nearly four decades. Melothesia was mentioned before. This treatise also contains Locke's Choice Collection of Lessons for the Harpsichord or Organ of all sorts. This assortment is actually a precursor of Purcell's Choice Collection of Lessons for the Harpsichord and Spinet (1696) . These are not instruction pieces, for "lesson" is the English equivalent of "suite." Another precursor to Purcell's harpsichord works, penned by Locke and published by Playford, was the Musick's Handmaid (1678/79) which was printed from engraved copperplates. Purcell's collection, which appeared under the heading "Musick's Handmaid II" (1689), was the last contribution to harpsichord music that appeared in Purcell's lifetime. Another collection, Orpheus Britannicus, merits brief mention. Undertaken by Henry Playford in two folio volumes in 1698 and 1702, showing a 68-word title , it was an anthology of vocal music by Henry Purcell, who was considered by his fellow countrymen as the Orpheus Brittanicus. This anthology was dedicated by Purcell's widow Frances to Lady Katherine Howard, a harpsichord student of Purcell. His widow shouldered the editorial responsibility for the publication of A Choice Collection of Lessons for the Harpsichord and Spinet, posthumously issued in 1696. It should be noted that the composer and presumably also the publisher emphasized that the lessons could be played on the larger harpsichord as well as on the smaller spinet, thereby assuring prospective buyers and owners of either type of relevant keyboard instrument. Discussing Purcell's suites (lessons), it seems appropriate to review briefly, the development of the suite as such. The suite evolved from the old popular custom of following a slow dance with a quicker one, or pairing a dance of two or four beats to the measure, with one in triple time. This custom was practiced on the village green, in modest inns, and in the castles of the aristocracy and ballrooms of royal palaces. The adaptation of dance forms proved a very suitable means for instrumental music on a higher plane, and led to the formation of an assortment of several stylized dances. The assemblage received different names in different countries: called ordre by Couperin, it was designated as lesson by Purcell. Johann Hermann Schein (1586-1630 ) coined the term Banchetto musicale. The German composers used the designation suite as well as the Italian word partita and its German derivative partie. (One of the meanings of partita is "lot" or "quantity," and when the word is used in connection with the suite it signifies copiousness.)
@thefloorislava3249
8 ай бұрын
What lovely melodies! Thank you!
@hdibart
8 ай бұрын
Thank You.
@kurikokaleidoscope
8 ай бұрын
Magnificent ⚘
@eloybeltran2816
2 ай бұрын
a little thing, a lot variations of rpm speed of the disco, mmm :/
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