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Day! Yesterday I had a Grimaldi harpsichord available and I recorded (forgive me but I had to do it from my cell phone) Scarlatti's sonata K 1, which I will have to play together with Mozart's sonata K 283 on a Stein fortepiano (not all of the first one for sure, the second one is not yet known)
It is not quite right yet but it is listenable, I would say... the ritornellos are both diminished.
Member
Beautiful! Wow, it must be exciting to play on a harpsichord, do you know in what year it was built?
Member
It is a copy...built a few years ago...I don't know exactly, but it is recent.
Member
Keep in mind, however, that it's been almost a month since I've been playing on two harpsichords and a fortepiano... and I like it very much!
Administrator
Very beautiful !! Imagine that I only played a few stray keys on a harpsichord where in large capital letters it said "DO NOT TOUCH!!!" (including the three exclamation points) but curiosity was too strong. I would like to record something on a harpsichord one day. Maybe a Bach piece...
Member
Eh, for the pieces you need a fairly extended harpsichord... usually they reach C6 and stop... at least a second is missing... better a third... but as instruments they are beautiful to say the least... I currently use that Grimaldi on which I recorded Scarlatti, a Flemish copy, but I don't know if it's a Dulcken or a Ruckers, I never asked my teacher... and a copy of a Stein fortepiano from around 1770... they are all instruments I adore, and I am witnessing the construction of 3 other harpsichords: a modified A Albana for a teacher at the Bologna conservatory, a Giusti with 3 registers for the harpsichord maker himself—the Grimaldi is also his, I tune them and then practice on them, he is teaching me how to regulate them, and by the end of the year he should also make a Taskin... two manuals and at least 3 registers, but that one is still very far off... see the difference... as for me, instead he says 'bring plenty to study because when you're finished you'll study Bach, Scarlatti, etc.' Ahahahahah
Administrator
Lucky you !!
Member
Anyway, playing a piano is one thing, playing a fortepiano or a harpsichord are completely different things... the same fortepiano, at least from the late 1700s, has more affinities with the harpsichord than with the piano... but... I prefer them to the piano for repertoires
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Since I had been asked when Carlo Grimaldi's harpsichord was from, the original is from 1656
Moderator
Beautiful. In Italy, as you may know, we have Tucci, who besides being a dear friend, is a competent builder of these instruments. Is it by chance one of his reproductions?
Member
No, from a Bolognese harpsichord maker that I am following... and who passed me the project for a small clavichord with 4 coupled octaves and a split low octave, a small instrument from the late 1600s from southern Germany... he will give me a hand in making it! We start next week! I dedicate myself to woodworking in addition to tuning and regulation ahahah
Member
Besides, between harpsichord and fortepiano I am finding myself having to make various changes to my technique... it is a pesky job modifying consolidated habits... but if the harpsichord doesn't sound good there is little else to do
Member
Why don't you make some Antares videos? It could be very instructive!
Member
Why isn't my camera working and I don't have the cash to change it now ahahah
Ps what kind of video?
Member
How to proceed with tuning, or maybe some videos on restoration, on the sound. It would be interesting
Member
Regarding tuning, for now it is relatively [unclear] I use a tuner since there are dozens of tunings... at the moment I use a late 1600s German one... Werkmeister, but there are many others; eventually, I end up tuning the low/high notes and supplementary registers inevitably by ear...
The restoration issue is more complex... aside from the fact that at the moment I am not following any restoration, but rather the actual construction of 2 harpsichords with a third on the program... I fear I am not yet expert enough for that... although in the future I would like to finish an English-style spinet that I had started and never finished... but it is definitely still too early! I will start with a small clavichord for which I already have the project; I'm only missing the wood to begin, who knows, if it turns out well I might even sell it!
Member
Small OT: I am at the theater listening to L'Europa galante playing Vivaldi and Monteverdi, well, sitting nearby is a child of 5-6 years old maximum accompanied by his father... obviously they are not Italian hahahah I would have been surprised if it were otherwise
