THE PRE-BAROQUE AND BAROQUE ERAS (see also: CLASSIC ERA)
The three most significant Baroque keyboard composers are J.S. Bach, Handel and Domenico Scarlatti. However, daring souls who wish to pursue pre-Baroque keyboard repertory are urged to consult Chapter Two of Stewart Gordon's excellent book, "A History of Keyboard Literature: Music for the Piano and its Forerunners," 1996, ISBN 0-02-870965-9. Check your local library; if they don't have it, ask them to get it via interlibrary loan. You can also check your favorite local bookstore or order online:http://www.amazon.com/ or http://shop.barnesandnoble.com/
Examples of important pre-Baroque/early Baroque composers are:
John Bull
(1562-1628)
William Byrd
(1543-1623)
Antonio de Cabezòn
(1510-66)
Manuel Rodrigues Coelho
(ca. 1583- ca. 1625 or later)
Benjamin Cosyn
(ca. 1570-1652)
Giles Farnaby
(ca. 1560- ca. 1620?)
Andrea Gabrieli
(ca. 1510-86)
Orlando Gibbons
(1583-1625)
Claudio Merulo
(1533-1604)
Thomas Morley
(1557- ca. 1603)
John Munday
(ca. 1555? -1630)
Jan Pieterszoon Sweelinck
(1562-1621)
Thomas Tomkins
(ca. 1572-1656)
To find specific keyboard repertory by these & other composers, consult:
Guide to the Pianist's Repertoire by Maurice Hinson: 1st edition, 1973, Indiana U. Press, ISBN 0-253-32700-8; 2nd edition, Indiana U. Press, call # ML 128 P3 H5 1987; 3rd edition due out in February, 2001.For more information see also: Keyboard Music Before 1700, Alexander Silbert, editor, 1995, Schirmer Books, ISBN 0-02-872391-0.
For an excellent discussion of Bach interpretation, see:
"Interpreting Bach's Preludes & Fugues" by Andras Schiff, Clavier magazine, March 1987, Vol. 26, No. 3, pp. 15-18. (Consult your local librarian; if they do not have it, ask to get a copy by interlibrary loan.)Keyboardists who play Baroque music with imagination and tasteful embellishments include:
Sergey Schepkin (click here for recordings):
http://www.ongaku-records.com/SergeyBio.html
(See the November/December 2000 issue of Piano & Keyboard, p. 64, for Arthur Houle's favorable review of Schepkin's CD's of Bach)
Andras Schiff (click here for recordings):
http://www.amazon.com/
Igor Kipnis (click here for recordings):
http://www.amazon.com/
For repertory ideas see:
Guide to the Pianist's Repertoire by Maurice Hinson: 1st edition, 1973, Indiana U. Press, ISBN 0-253-32700-8; 2nd edition, Indiana U. Press, call # ML 128 P3 H5 1987; 3rd edition due out in February, 2001. Check your local library, order from your favorite local bookstore, or order online.Site Issues? Contact the Webmaster.