No comments about Playing the Harpsichord.

No comments about Harpsichord regulating and repairing.

2 comments about The Historical Harpsichord.

1. I ordered this book August 28, 1998, it arrived well over four years later (publishing date delayed). Well, the publishing date should have been delayed even more.

   There is not a single color photo in this book, a homely object without even a colored dust jacket to adorn it. It is a disappointment and incredible irritation to receive an art reference book without colored photographs.

   The grainy black and white photos that illustrate (without color) harpsichord decoration are poor quality reproductions and many exist in clearer form (and color) in other reference books.

   So few books are published on the harpsichord topic, it was a tragedy for the publisher to waste this opportunity. Anyone interested in this topic would have gladly paid the premium for color photographs.




2. This Historical Harpsichord, Volume 4 provides the reader with a scholarly, meticulous, detailed look at the evolution of this remarkable stringed instrument. Individual chapters are divided by nation, addressing different styles of harpsichord and how they were used in Italy, Southern Netherlands, France, Germany, and England. An extensive inlay of black-and-white photographs feature both lavishly painted instruments and works of classical art that featured harpsichords. Of special interest is "A Fable Deconstructed: The 1770 Taskin at Yale" by Richard Rephann. Enhanced with illustrations, a bibliography, a list of the illustrated instruments and their locations, The Historical Harpsichord is strongly recommended as a thorough, factual, and fascinating history. Also highly recommended for in-depth scholars of the harpsichord are the early volumes in this seminal series: Reconstructing The Harpsichord (0918728290); The Metallurgy of 17th- And 18th-Century Music Wire (0918728541), and Bartolomeo Cristofori as Harpsichord Maker (0945192262).

No comments about Method for learning to play the trumpet in a warlike way as well as musically: With the organ, with a mute, with a harpsichord, and every other instrument.

No comments about Treatise on Harpsichord Tuning (Cambridge Musical Texts and Monographs).

1 comments about A Performer's Guide to the Keyboard Partitas of J.S. Bach.

1. Valenti's guide to the keyboard Partitas of J.S. Bach is an entirely subjective account of his personal interpretive whims. Written in a scripted, question and answer format (with dissapointing results) each movement of each Partita is alloted about three to five questions which, frustrating for the serious performer, tend to focus on historical asides rather than specifcs of articulation, dynamics, slurring, etc. In addition to this, these questions are often far more vague and juvenile than one would expect of an experienced musician ready to learn these monumental works. Occasionally the author will compare different editions of the Partitas and point out some important thoughts on ornamentation, but one would do better to spend the forty dollars on several good recordings of the works, which will likely be far more illuminating and enjoyable.

1 comments about A Plain & Easy Introduction to the Harpsichord.

1. I expected to find more information about the functionality of a harpsichord in reading this book. First, there are almost no illistrations which makes it hard to picture what their talking about, and the majority of the book is filled with music and how to play. Perhaps a good book for someone who already knows how to play piano and understands how a harpsichord works, but not for someone just getting into the piece.

No comments about Triple Concerto, BWV 1044, for Flute, Violin and Harpsichord in Full Score (Dover Orchestral Scores).

2 comments about Three Centuries of Harpsichord Making.

1. Frank Hubbard had an amazing combination of talents. As a harpsichord builder, he was one of the principal founders of present-day harpsichord-building practice, which produces superior instruments by imitating the masters of long ago. Hubbard was also a fine scholar: thoughtful, careful, endlessly knowledgeable, and often witty.

   Hubbard's book, though nonfiction, has a kind of plot: he documents a slow-moving miracle of instrument-making that took place in Europe over a period of several centuries. Hubbard follows the important changes in building practice as the centers of innovation shifted from Italy, to Flanders, to France, and finally to England and Germany.

   This book is a beautiful example what can be accomplished by scholars in the humanities--it's careful, rigorous detective work. Hubbard's endless labors made possible the lovely authentic harpsichords we enjoy today.

   This is not a book for everyone, but if you're one of the many people who once put together a harpsichord kit, I'm almost certain you will enjoy this book.




2. A definiteve study by one of the leading exponents in the contemptorary rediscovery of the harpsichord. Strategically illustrated. Exhaustive bibliography. Reading this book will immerse you in the past practices of harpsichord-making, from sawyers and lumbering to varnishes and decorative painting. Amazingly juicy, written in a very engaging style. If you want to know the difference between the German and Flemish makers and their instruments, for example, you will find out about them here. I first read this book when I built a harpsichord kit in my teens. For a kid who hated history, I could not put this down. Hubbard exposes the reader to a well-hidden side of music-making. Stay away if you hate anything baroque or eloquently discursive.

2 comments about Playing the Harpsichord Expressively: A Practical and Historical Guide.

1. This book is the most valuble method book i've ever read. It has helped me sooo much since I bought it and i've only had it for a month. Mark Kroll needs to win an award for this book. Every Harpsichordist NEEDS this book. It's mandatory that any harpsichordist that comes across this book gets it :-).



2. This is one of the most interesting books for the novice harpsichordist, covering basic and more sophisticated technical issues. Absent a real live teacher, it's a useful introduction that fills in gaps left by earlier manuals.