EARLY MUSIC FROM LOW COUNTRIES LIBRARIES
PART VII: KEYBOARD MUSIC 1620-1820
On microfiche
The Project
In cooperation with four major music research libraries
— the Music Department of the Haags Gemeentemuseum
— the Koninklijk Conservatorium Brussels
— the Toonkunst Library Amsterdam
— the University Library Utrecht
MMF Publications is making available on microfiche rare musical compositions for the period before 1820 held in Dutch and Belgian repositories. Currently there are nine parts of the series available.
Part VII: Keyboard music 1620-1820
Keyboard music in this set of microfiche is to be understood as music for string keyboard instruments (clavichord, harpsichord, pianoforte) and for the various types of organ. Before the mid-17th century, however, there is only little distinction between music for one keyboard instrument and another. A well known example are Frescobaldi's "toccate di cimbalo et organo" (1628, no. 59 in the set), pieces equally suited to harpsichord or organ. The second half of the century saw the emergence of a more distinctive organ and harpsichord music. The organ works by Lebègue and other French contemporaries are mostly short, simple pieces. Lebègue was the first to exploit the pedals fully, which he has in common with Georg Muffat in Germany, whose "Apparatus musico-organisticus" (1690) contains 12 organ toccatas with elementary pedal parts. Muffat is one of a group of important German organ composers, preparing the way for the greatest of them: Johann Sebastian Bach. Bach surely is also the most important pre-classical composer for the keyboard in general, but of course he had many musical ancestors in several European countries. French harpsichord music exercised a potent influence throughout Europe with François Couperin as one of the most outstanding figures. In England Purcell and Händel wrote several masterly works. Of all harpsichord composers in Italy Domenico Scarlatti, contemporary of Bach, was the greatest.
The harpsichord remained in active use until 1800 and even later, when most keyboardplayers already owned a pianoforte. Although invented about 1700, a distinctive style for this instrument began to appear only during the second half of the 18th century. Bach's sons had a strong influence on the early growth of piano music. In his own compositions C.P.E. Bach turned more to the clavichord, but the keyboard style of the piano was strongly influenced by the clavichord. J.C. Bach preferred the piano, although some titlepages of his works tell us that they were composed "pour le clavecin ou pianoforte" (1766). Of course, it was often for commercial reasons only that such indications were given by the publisher, even on publications from the early 19th century. But then the harpsichord had already fallen into disuse and the pianoforte had proved itself the instrument of the future.
The microfiche set
The collection features 449 compositions by some 269 composers from the period on 326 microfiches.
There is no overlap with other microfiche sets previously published under the auspices of the Haags gemeentemuseum. The major contributor to the present set is the library of the Koninklijk Conservatorium in Brussels.
The complete list of contents is available for inspection from MMF on diskette free on request.
Also available
Part I: Concertos before 1820
Part II: Orchestral Music before 1820
Part III: Church Music 1750-1820
Part IV: Vocal and Instrumental Tutors 1600-1900
Part V: Historical Organ Collection
Part VI: Vocal Music 1650-1820
Part VIII: Solo Instrumental Music 1620-1820
Part IX: Ensemble Music 1680-1820
Of related interest
Technical Drawings of Musical Instruments
Technical plans and the details of construction and decoration of instruments from twenty-five major collections around the world have been brought together and made available on microfiche thanks to the efforts of the Music Department of the Haags Gemeentemuseum (Municipal Museum of The Hague), under the editorship of Rob van Acht, curator of musical instruments.
Order no.: M390
Size: Drawings of 512 instruments on 544 microfiches (format: one to six images per fiche)
Finding aids: Eye-legible headers on the fiches and printed guide compiled by R. van Acht
Price: € 2,690