GG: a harpsichord question

[Bradley P Lehman <bpl@umich.edu>]

(I sent this on Monday but the server never delivered it...)


Ronnie, the effect you are hearing at that point in the music is: Gould is
adding another set of strings ("16-foot", playing an octave lower than
written). He is still playing the same keys as before. As Antonio pointed
out, this engagement of more strings is done mechanically either by moving
a lever near the keyboard or by kicking a pedal. In some harpsichords it
can also be done by sliding the keyboard.

I described Gould's harpsichord as part of an extensive discussion here
last year in July: see
http://www.glenngould.org/mail/archives/f_minor/msg05507.html and
http://www.glenngould.org/mail/archives/f_minor/mail6.html in the
archives. For a musician of Gould's popularity and artistic stature I
think it's sad that (1) he used one of the worst harpsichords available
(bad tone), and (2) he didn't practice on it (or take any harpsichord
lessons) to adapt his piano technique to the harpsichord's expression....

The Wittmayer harpsichord that Gould played was not in any historical
national style. It was just a general 20th century harpsichord designed
for people who do not specialize in playing harpsichord! (Gould's
technique did, in a way, suit that type of instrument.) It belonged to a
friend of his who was a church organist.

Antonio, you are correct on all your comments about registers, except the
German/French distinction. "German" and "French" (and "Flemish" and
"Italian" and "English"...) in style of harpsichords refers to the body
shape, the soundboard construction, the types of strings, the points where
the strings are plucked, and many other parts of the design: in short,
these differences all affect the type of tone produced. It has nothing to
do with the registers being engaged by hand levers vs pedals. I have a web
page at http://www-personal.umich.edu/~bpl/hpsi.html or
http://i.am/harpsichord where you can compare the tone of different styles
of harpsichords.

A good survey of the different types of harpsichords is in the _New Grove
Dictionary of Music and Musicians_, the article "Harpsichord." This is
also reprinted in a separate book, _Early Keyboard Instruments_, as part
of the Grove Musical Instruments Series.

Bradley Lehman, Dayton VA
home: http://i.am/bpl or  http://www-personal.umich.edu/~bpl
clavichord CD's: http://listen.to/bpl or http://www.mp3.com/bpl
trumpet and organ: http://www.mp3.com/hlduo

"Music must cause fire to flare up from the spirit - and not only sparks
from the clavier...." - Alfred Cortot



At 05:58 PM 4/29/01 +0200, Sidoti Antonio tel. +39+0461 88 1525 wrote:
Hi f-minoreans and ronnie,
I am not an harpsicordist either, but I can tell you that harpsicords have
"registers" to perform the kind of sound effects you have listened in
Handel's Suites. These registers are mechanicals devices that, for
example, can play octaves while pressing a single note. But there are
others register too. Depending on the harpsicord model, the registers can
be swithced on/off by keys located near the keyboard or with pedals. I
think (but if I am wrong correct me) the former ones are called "German"
harpsicords while the lattter ones "French" ones.

Bye,
Antonio

On Sun, 29 Apr 2001, ronnie singer wrote:
> Hi F Minor,
>
> I've spent a lot of time listening to Handel's Suites 1-4 played by
> Gould on the Harpsichord and have a question relating to Suite no. 2
> in F, the second movement which is played Allegro.  The first 15 bars
> are played and then repeated.  Bars 16 to 36 when played have more
> depth than the first 15 bars, as though some mechanism on the
> Harpsichord was engaged.  As I am not a Harpsichordist, I wondering
> what Gould did to get that effect.  The nearest thing I can think of
> is, that the bass line was being played as octaves as opposed to
> single notes.  If someone could shed some light onto this I would
> appreciate it.
>
> Thanks
>
> Ronnie Singer
>