First Suite for Harpsichord

For solo harpsichord or virginal. Duration - 25 minutes.

Once the king of instruments, the harpsichord has seen a resurgence in interest and popularity in the late 20th century as part of the movement to resurrect “early music” and bring it to modern audiences. However, many highly-skilled harpsichordists desire to make their instruments even more relevant to this day and age by seeking new repertoire and training contemporary composers. I have always been thrilled by history and historical music, so I jumped at the chance to adapt my own style for such a venerable instrument.

This suite takes advantage of the now-uncommon colors of the instrument, but also the incomparable interpretive skills of musicians trained in historically-informed performance. It was commissioned by Charles Metz, a fantastic artist and supporter of early music, and was written specifically for his Elizabethan-period Italian virginal.

This suite was written specifically for a C/E short octave harpsichord or virginal. This was also written for an instrument in quarter-comma meantone temperament. Certain movements take advantage of the spicier sounds available in this tuning. Finally, individual movements can be excerpted as desired.

Movements:

Prelude
Bacáda
Passacaglia
Reverie
Chaconne
Benediction

Commissioned by Charles Metz.