The pieces in this collection were all written for those predecessors of the modern pianorforte known as the virginal, harpsichord, spinet, clavichord, clavier, clavecin.

Excerpt from Early Keyboard Music, Vol. 2: A Collection of Pieces Written for the Virginal, Spinet, Harpsichord, and Clavichord Besides dances, composers of this period occupied themselves with Fantasias, Preludes, Toccatas, and Variations. The Toccata was one of the earliest specifically instrumental forms. It had no well-defined requirements; but one of its obvious features was a flowing movement, often regularly recurring figures, frequently of rapid running passages, with little decided melodic character; thus, like the Fantasia and Prelude, it was in the nature of a brilliant improvisation. In the Variation was soon found a medium for the development and display of the composer's ingenuity and the executant's technical facility; and it was considered appropriate to many of the dances just described. When composers came to perceive the value of the artistic balance and contrast to be obtained by grouping together dances of different tempos, rhythms and character, grave and gay, the Suite came into being. There was no definite rule, even in the latest and lightest development of the Suite, establishing the kind and order of the movements to be used; and in the earliest examples we find an infinite variety. However, the Suite was always in the same key throughout. By the beginning of the seventeenth century some general principles of choice and arrangement were cur rently accepted; with or without a Prelude, the Suite was often constituted of an Allemande, a Courante, a Sarabande and a Gigue, in the above order; but sometimes other movements were employed. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.

The twentieth-century revival of early music unfolded in two successive movements rooted respectively in nineteenth-century antiquarianism and in rediscovery of the value of original instruments. The present volume is a collection of insights reflecting the principal concerns of the second of those revivals, focusing on early keyboards, and beginning in the 1950s. The volume and its authors acknowledge Canadian harpsichordist Kenneth Gilbert (b. 1931) as one of this revival’s leaders. The content reflects international research on early keyboard music, sources, instruments, theory, editing, and discography. Considerations that echo throughout the book are the problematics of source attributions, progressive institutionalization of early music, historical instruments as agents of artistic change and education, antecedents and networks of the revival seen as a social phenomenon, the impact of historical performance and the quest for understanding style and genre. The chapters cover historical performance practice, source studies, edition, theory and form, and instrument curating and building. Among their authors are prominent figures in performance, music history, editing, instrument building and restoration, and theory, some of whom engaged with the early keyboard revival as it was happening.

English keyboard art from Robertsbridge Codex (c. 1325) to John Field. Illuminating coverage of organ, harpsichord, pianoforte, other instruments; works of Tallis, Byrd, Gibbons, Tomkins, many others. Bibliography.

A select bibliography and extensive endnotes enable the reader to take all of the issues further."--Jacket.

This exciting edition contains 100 early intermediate selections in their original form, spanning the Baroque period to present day. The repertoire, which includes several minuets, folk dances, character pieces and much more, has been carefully graded and selected for student appeal by editor Lynn Freeman Olson.