Dances With Harpsichords
Is there any instrument better suited for dance music than the harpsichord? Acoustically, it is virtually a 'rhythm and bass' section rolled into one, with a resonant bass set off by a slightly percussive pluck. Each note on the harpsichord has a touch of rhythmic punch that makes it the perfect, energizing counterpart to the dance. The happy marriage of harpsichord and movement dates back to the Renaissance, with hundreds of toe-tapping, foot-stomping, heel-clicking standards—voltas, saltarellos, galliards—contrasting with plangent pavans and slow, stately processionals.
Elaine has assembled a roster of composers representing a pethora of styles, yet they have chosen to express themselves by invoking every dance form imaginable—from the sublime to the very deliberately ridiculous. Dances with Harpsichords updates the harpsichord repertoire at the same time that it bows to its past!
Program and Sound Clips
Each sound clip is approximately 30 seconds long, in mp3 format, and is about 500 KB in size, so you will want a fast Internet connection to download them! |
| Lambert's Clavichord (Opus 41) (1927) |
Herbert Howells (1892-1983) |
| Dances from Colca Canyon (1999) |
Kent Holliday (b. 1940) |
| Pequena Suite Brasileira (1999) |
Dimitri Cervo (b. 1968) |
| Tambourin (1967) from Suite #1 |
Stephen Dodgson (b. 1924) |
| Three Bulgarian Dances (1999) |
Timothy Tikker (b. 1958) |
| Suite Española (1999) |
Timothy Brown (b. 1959) |
| Rigadon (1892) |
Francis Thomé (1850-1909) |
| Seven Innocent Dances (1996) |
Rudy Davenport (b. 1948 |
| Three Odd Meters (1999) |
Sondra Clark (b. 1941) |
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