In the Baroque Era, the term “clavier” referred to all keyboard
instruments: virginal, clavichord, harpsichord, fortepiano, and others.
Bärenreiter’s “Baroque” Piano Album presents a representative selection
of the major forms of Baroque clavier music from England , Italy ,
France and Germany .
The anthology is divided into these four
countries and illustrated with pictures of historical instruments to
convey an impression of music making in the country concerned.
The volume begins with the Italian composer Girolamo Frescobaldi, whose
keyboard works exemplify the stylistic transition from the Renaissance
to the Baroque.
It then moves on to the English virginalists and the French clavecinistes and ends with the epochal of Johann Sebastian Bach.
Apart from traits which prevailed in each of these countries, piano
pupils will learn about the various stages of the Early High and Late
Baroque period as well as about the major musical genres, from dance to
fugue.
Special care was taken in the selection of the pieces to ensure that they could be played on the modern piano.
Since Baroque ornaments must be executed differently for each composer,
practical suggestions are included in the musical text. Reliable
fingering has been added to make the volume ideal for use in piano
lessons.
- Representative overview of the major styles in Baroque clavier music
- 44 easy-to-play pieces
- Musical text includes suggestions for ornaments
- Reliable fingering