- Suite 5 for Harpsichord
[10:17]
The movements are Prelude, Almand, Courante, Saraband, Cebell [Gavot], Minuet, Riggadoon, Intrada, and March, many of which have been transcribed for
organ. The Prelude begins almost as a two-voice fugue but about halfway through it begins to change textures frequently. The Almand is played
alternately on the instrument's two 8' registers, sounded together and separately. The Courante adds the 4' register occasionally. The Sarabande
alternates betwween the two 8' registers. The Cebell is rather jaunty with several misdirected notes that are accurately rendered according to my
score, repetitions eventually invoke the harpsichord's entire resources. The Minuet begins on the 4' alone, which, being an octave higher, gives it a
music box effect, answered by the regular pitch in the repeats. The Rigaudon sounds like a popular tune of the day, with a childish, sing-song
quality. The Intrada was relabeled "Fanfare" by E. Power Biggs and given a da capo (that is, he repeated the first section again at the end); here the
trumpet-like melody is on its own keyboard. The concluding March contains a few broken chords at the repeats, and resources are marshaled prudently so
there is an appropriate buildup at the end. Remember, there are only three stops on this instrument.
Instrument:
Martin 3-stop Saxon Harpsichord - Samples by Brett Milan
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Audio track was created with Hauptwerk v. 1 software
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