Search - Martin Souter :: Handel and Scarlatti, 1772 Kirckman Harpsichord

The music on this recording is a reflection of the music that would have most likely been played on this harpsichord when it was built. The Handel suites were first published in London in 1720, but an enormous number of reprints suggests that their popularity was assured throughout most of the eighteenth century, and their style became a starting point for nearly every new keyboard composer in England. The Scarlatti sonatas heard here were also published in London. A group of thirty two pieces appeared in print in 1738, the only publication of Scarlatti's music during his own lifetime. Like the Handel suites, these works proved definitive for most English composers, who used them as models for many new pieces. Their popularity was exceptional, and their brilliant style is perfectly suited to Kirckman's wonderful harpsichord. The Kirckman harpsichord preserved in the Ashmolean Museum must be one of the finest eighteenth century harpsichords still extant. Certainly it is one of the most beautiful to look at, with its fine veneers and exquisite marquetry work (illustrated on the front cover). The sound it makes is noble and rich and demands the listener's attention, as well as requiring extra effort on the part of the performer. The harpsichord was built in 1772 by Jacob Kirckman, one of England's most illustrious makers. His instruments are often regarded as the ultimate development of the artistic and expressive possibilities of the eighteenth-century harpsichord. Kirckman harpsichords were to be found in many of the great houses in England. Many of them still exist, but few of them have had so fortunate a history as the Ashmolean instrument , or have survived the potentially devastating rigours of both neglect and improper restoration with such grace. The instrument was formerly in the possession of the sculptor John Bacon (1740-1799) and belonged subsequently to Dr Slatter and Mr Carl Engel before being presented to the museum in 1948 by Mrs P.E.Bowman. It is unusual for an instrument such as this to have such a documented history prior to its arrival in the safe environment of a museum.