Frescobaldi harpsichord

Frescobaldi: Works for Harpsichord

Gustav Leonhardt
Philips 432 128

Contents:

1. Toccata decima (1615)
2. Toccata undecima (1615)
3. Recercar nono, con quattro soggetti (1615)
4. Canzona quarta (1627)
5. Canzon terza, detta la Crivelli (1645)
6. Partite sopra Folia (1615)
7. Capriccio di durezze (1624)
8. Toccata settima (1615)
9. Capriccio sopra un soggetto (1624)
10. Fantasia terza, sopra un soggetto solo (1608)
11. Toccata seconda (1627)
12. Balletto I, corrente e passacagli (1637)
13. Balletti II e corrente (1637)
14. Fantasia nona, sopra trè soggetti (1608)
15. Toccata decima (1627)

Playing time: 58'

Recording date: September 1990

Instrument: Harpsichord, Bom (1987)

Frescobaldi holds an easy pre-eminence among Italian keyboard composers of the period. He was able to combine the disparate styles of Northern & Southern Italy into a unified idiom. To this he added a formal invigoration based upon new rhythmic & harmonic ideas.

Even though there was a great deal of keyboard music composed in Italy prior to Frescobaldi, he is often taken as the beginning of an era, for he was the first to have a large influence throughout Europe. Although criticized for his poor literary training, no one was able to criticize his keyboard virtuosity.

The present performance includes a broad range of Frescobaldi's work, including the less-known Fantasias (showing a Renaissance idiom). His toccatas & capriccios are generally his best-known works.

Other good introductory discs:

Harpsichord Music of Frescobaldi

Colin Tilney
Dorian 90124

Frescobaldi: Partite & Toccate

Pierre Hantaï
Astrée 8585

Frescobaldi: Intavolature di Cimbalo

Enrico Baiano
Symphonia 02202

Frescobaldi: Harpsichord Works

Aapo Häkkinen
Alba Records 178

Frescobaldi: Toccatas & danses

Scott Ross
Virgin "Veritas" 61398

Frescobaldi: Pièces de clavecin

Blandine Verlet
Astrée 8654

Frescobaldi: Harpsichord Works

Laurent Stewart
Pierre Vérany 794032

Leonhardt's other recordings:

Frescobaldi: Il Primo Libro de Capricci

Gustav Leonhardt
Deutsche Harmonia Mundi 77071

The Art of Frescobaldi

Gustav Leonhardt
Vanguard Classics 1280 (2 CDs)

Many of Frescobaldi's works are also well-suited to organ. A specific organ cycle is the Fiori Musicali (1635), a collection of two organ masses. A fine cycle:

Frescobaldi: Fiori Musicali, vol. 1

Messa della Domenica
Lorenzo Ghielmi / Canticum
Deutsche Harmonia Mundi 77331

And an older, general collection on organ:

Frescobaldi: Orgues italiens - Brescia et Bastia

René Saorgin
Harmonia Mundi "musique d'abord" 190 1229

A recording devoted specifically to Frescobaldi's late keyboard canzoni publication:

Frescobaldi: Canzoni alla francese

Roberto Loreggian
Tactus 580603

A couple of prominent cycles recording most of Frescobaldi's published keyboard output:

Frescobaldi: Il Primo Libro di Toccata

Rinaldo Alessandrini (harpsichord)
Arcana 904 (2 CDs)

Frescobaldi: Toccate e Partite d'Intavolatura, Libro Primo

Sergio Vartolo
Tactus 580680 (3 CDs)

A few other cycles which begin to traverse Frescobaldi's keyboard music in a methodical way:

Frescobaldi: Toccatas & Partitas

Fabio Bonizzoni
Glossa 921514 [CDx2]

Frescobaldi: Volume 1

Richard Lester
Nimbus 5850

Frescobaldi: 2nd Book of Toccatas

Cesare Atticciata
Bongiovanni 5527

Frescobaldi: Toccate e Partite d'Intavolatura di cimbalo

Laura Alvini
Fonit Cetra Italia 36

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