British Harpsichord Music: History v. 2

British Harpsichord Music, Volume 2 examines the origin and development of music for plucked key board instruments in Britain. It traces the harpsichord's role both in solo performance and in accompaniment and ensemble playing. The book is a companion to John Harley's bibliography British Harpsichord Music, Volume 1, Sources, published in 1992. Part 1 starts with the earliest known British harpsichord music, and the part played by William Byrd in developing harpsichord music as a major musical genre. The changing musical styles of the sixteenth to the eighteenth centuries are followed through the music of leading and lesser known composers, to the gradual displacement of the harpsichord by the pianoforte before its rehabilitation in this century. Part 2 includes chapters on the instruments used, the social setting and particular aspects of harpsichord music such as the theoretical background, and notational practices and their bearing on performance. The appendices include chronological lists of composers represented in the sources, described in Volume 1. There is a full bibliography, a substantial list of additions to Volume 1 and a detailed index.