Glen Wilson made me discover harpsicords

[Carlo Gesualdo]

Hello to be quite honest, I did not think much of keyboard instruments (piano, organ, harpsicords). Until the work of Glen Wilson astonished me whit name like: Farnaby, Gabrielli, Cavazzoni, Sweelink, Richardson, Couperin, Buxtehude and etc.

I was sold first on Harpsicords so I hold great respect for this sir,  Wilson, for introducing me to great works of masters. From this point I started to like organ works and piano eventually.

Perhaps I'm not alone and mister Wilson introduce us trough Naxos to keyboard music, did anyone of you heard his latest Cabezon works, why post on this because I was pretty much a vocal music listener back than, I put limit, boundaries.

Now I appreciate instrumental music more, almost any instrument but still, I'm not turn on by solo violin like I.e Paganini.

Like most folks out here, some instruments, you like the sounds better than other, but a quartet of strings can be good stuff .

This was how I discover harpsicords, organ whit the work of J.s Bach like many other an also the great Merulo , Frescobaldi.

Piano was more a 20 Ct or me whit Russian school of futurist like Lourié, Obhukov, Rubenstein but I always like Satie.

This post is about how I got into keyboard music and how grateful I thank Mister Wilson, if it's were not for him I wonder if I would be an affectionado of keyboard in a broad general sense.

[Karl Henning]

Hello to be quite honest, I did not think much of keyboard instruments (piano, organ, harpsicords). Until the work of Glen Wilson astonished me whit name like: Farnaby, Gabrielli, Cavazzoni, Sweelink, Richardson, Couperin, Buxtehude and etc.

I was sold first on Harpsicords so I hold great respect for this sir,  Wilson, for introducing me to great works of masters. From this point I started to like organ works and piano eventually.

Perhaps I'm not alone and mister Wilson introduce us trough Naxos to keyboard music, did anyone of you heard his latest Cabezon works, why post on this because I was pretty much a vocal music listener back than, I put limit, boundaries.

Now I appreciate instrumental music more, almost any instrument but still, I'm not turn on by solo violin like I.e Paganini.

Like most folks out here, some instruments, you like the sounds better than other, but a quartet of strings can be good stuff .

This was how I discover harpsicords, organ whit the work of J.s Bach like many other an also the great Merulo , Frescobaldi.

Piano was more a 20 Ct or me whit Russian school of futurist like Lourié, Obhukov, Rubenstein but I always like Satie.

This post is about how I got into keyboard music and how grateful I thank Mister Wilson, if it's were not for him I wonder if I would be an affectionado of keyboard in a broad general sense.

Very interesting!

For years, I was quite indigent to the harpsichord, and was content to hear any of the harpsichord lit played on other instruments.

Then, I befriended a fellow conductor who is also a harpsichordist: I wrote a clarinet/harpsichord duo for the two of us to play together, and the experience of rehearsing this piece with him opened my ears wide unto the harpsichord, an instrument I have loved ever since.

[steve ridgway]

The harpsichord has a distinctive sound which I enjoy although I've come to appreciate it more through non-classical works such as Nico's "Evening Of Light" .

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nWulOZRNnls

[XB-70 Valkyrie]

I was turned OFF of the harpsichord for many years by listening to Wanda Landowska. She has her fans here I suppose, but I cannot stand the sound of those instruments or her style of playing.

[Archaic Torso of Apollo]

I was turned OFF of the harpsichord for many years by listening to Wanda Landowska. She has her fans here I suppose, but I cannot stand the sound of those instruments or her style of playing.

Leonhardt was the guy who did it for me (turned me ON, I mean). With his Byrd album first. Glen Wilson was a student of Leonhardt, so there's a connection.

[Mandryka]

Hello to be quite honest, I did not think much of keyboard instruments (piano, organ, harpsicords). Until the work of Glen Wilson astonished me whit name like: Farnaby, Gabrielli, Cavazzoni, Sweelink, Richardson, Couperin, Buxtehude and etc.

I was sold first on Harpsicords so I hold great respect for this sir,  Wilson, for introducing me to great works of masters. From this point I started to like organ works and piano eventually.

Perhaps I'm not alone and mister Wilson introduce us trough Naxos to keyboard music, did anyone of you heard his latest Cabezon works, why post on this because I was pretty much a vocal music listener back than, I put limit, boundaries.

Now I appreciate instrumental music more, almost any instrument but still, I'm not turn on by solo violin like I.e Paganini.

Like most folks out here, some instruments, you like the sounds better than other, but a quartet of strings can be good stuff .

This was how I discover harpsicords, organ whit the work of J.s Bach like many other an also the great Merulo , Frescobaldi.

Piano was more a 20 Ct or me whit Russian school of futurist like Lourié, Obhukov, Rubenstein but I always like Satie.

This post is about how I got into keyboard music and how grateful I thank Mister Wilson, if it's were not for him I wonder if I would be an affectionado of keyboard in a broad general sense.

https://www.naxos.com/mainsite/blurbs_reviews.asp?item_code=8.572998&catNum=572998&filetype=About%20this%20Recording&language=English#


Glen Wilson is feistily evangelical about the harpsichord  in c16 keyboard music -- maybe he'd begrudgingly tolerate a claviorganum. See  the above essay

[Ken B]

I was turned OFF of the harpsichord for many years by listening to Wanda Landowska. She has her fans here I suppose, but I cannot stand the sound of those instruments or her style of playing.

Yeah. Harpsichords then were usually steel frame with metal strings. Just awful to listen to. It wasn't until about 1960that you had makers going back to historical models. Martin Skrowanek made a few that Leonhardt used.

[Marc]

I have to admit that my love for harpsichord already awakened before I seriously began listening to classical music.
The Rolling Stones ('Lady Jane'), The Beatles ('Fixing A Hole'), The Stranglers ('Golden Brown') and The Doors (with Ray Manzarek) made me already embrace the instrument.

It took me some years to appreciate listening for hours to solo harpsichord (classical) music though.
Now it's not a 'problem' anymore, au contraire, I love the delicacy and flexibility of the instrument's sound.

[Karl Henning]

I was turned OFF of the harpsichord for many years by listening to Wanda Landowska. She has her fans here I suppose, but I cannot stand the sound of those instruments or her style of playing.

She was indeed the first harpichordist (apart from Lurch, and I guess that was probably Ian Underwood on Uncle Meat)... so she didn't do the instrument any favors in my ears, either.

[Karl Henning]

Leonhardt was the guy who did it for me (turned me ON, I mean). With his Byrd album first. Glen Wilson was a student of Leonhardt, so there's a connection.

Nice.

[Karl Henning]

I have to admit that my love for harpsichord already awakened before I seriously began listening to classical music.
The Rolling Stones ('Lady Jane'), The Beatles ('Fixing A Hole'), The Stranglers ('Golden Brown') and The Doors (with Ray Manzarek) made me already embrace the instrument.

It took me some years to appreciate listening for hours to solo harpsichord (classical) music though.
Now it's not a 'problem' anymore, au contraire, I love the delicacy and flexibility of the instrument's sound.

Nice.

[prémont]

In my case it was Helmut Walcha's EMI Bach recordings, particularly the WTC, which I more than once listened to in one stretch. Well, it was a revival harpsichord but it sounded so different from what I had known until then. Maybe Walcha's strong, individual reading also played a role. And then I began to attend recitals, where harpsichord were used. To me another strong factor was Leonhardt's recordings, which also illuminated a rather broad musical repertoire.

[Archaic Torso of Apollo]

I have to admit that my love for harpsichord already awakened before I seriously began listening to classical music.
The Rolling Stones ('Lady Jane'), The Beatles ('Fixing A Hole'), The Stranglers ('Golden Brown') and The Doors (with Ray Manzarek) made me already embrace the instrument.

Yeah, harpsichord works great in rock music for some reason - maybe because it's got a kind of proto-electronic sound? (at least that's how I always heard it) Was just listening to the Kinks Face to Face album, there must be 5 or 6 songs on it that use a harpsichord.

[XB-70 Valkyrie]

In my case it was Helmut Walcha's EMI Bach recordings, particularly the WTC, which I more than once listened to in one stretch. Well, it was a revival harpsichord but it sounded so different from what I had known until then. Maybe Walcha's strong, individual reading also played a role. And then I began to attend recitals, where harpsichord were used. To me another strong factor was Leonhardt's recordings, which also illuminated a rather broad musical repertoire.

Yes, I still love Walcha's WTC--I have the complete set on five LP Electrola (German I believe) set that I digitized many years ago. Also, in my early days of listening I also was won over by Anton Heiller (esp. the superb Rameau) and Karl Richter, who is widely hated around here.

[dissily Mordentroge]

I had little to no interest in harpsichord, spinnets etc until I acquired a harpsicord maker for a boyfriend. I well remember the day I was 'converted'. Sitting in the outside loo (do US residents require a translation?) I was swept away with something from the Goldberg Variations. My first thought was J L had aquired a wonderous new audio system. Emerging to discover I'd been listening to Ton Coopman who'd come to try out one of J L's efforts.

I've been besotted with the instrument ever since although I find it hard to get my head around some of the big Pleyel's Landowska was so fond of.
Something I'll never be able to cope with is the too common fashion for making harpsicord recordings with microphones stuffed under the lid. ERK! Same with pipe organs so closely miked you hear every rattle and thump of the mechanism.