Harpsichord Music from Italy & Spain

Excerpt from the CD booklet essay by Trevor Stephenson:

This recording presents an array of beautiful, though seldom- performed, Italian and Spanish keyboard music from the 16th, 17th, and 18th centuries. This neglect has been due, I believe, to the paucity of appropriate instruments (16th and 17th-century harpsichords and organs from the Mediterranean region) and to the infrequent use of mean-tone temperament, both of which are essential tools for unlocking the wonderful secrets of this music….

For thousands of years before the 14th century, people plucked and strummed the strings of harp, lyre, and psaltery-type instruments exclusively with their fingers or hand-held quills. But in the 14th century the plucked-string world was radically expanded by the introduction of a keyboard system, borrowed from the technology of the already-existing organ. The mechanical detachment imposed by placing keys and jacks between the musician and the strings of the instrument must have seemed like anathema to some psaltery and harp players of the time, but the advantages of the new-born harpsichord were widely compelling: one could execute several independent parts at once, speed was almost limitless, and the tone had a brilliant snap to it. The harpsichord’s clear, energetic sound and its ease in rendering the harmonious counterpoint of a clockwork universe made it an ideal musical vehicle for expressing the Renaissance spirit— devoted to exploring the complex workings of humanity and the wider world. By the 15th century the harpsichord had been widely adopted, and the urgent presence of its voice continued to stimulate the imaginations of musicians for more than three centuries.