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Pedal-bass harpsichord CD's?

Posted by Bambi B (A) on March 9, 2007 at 06:35:48

In Reply to: where R the cool pedal-bass harpsichord CD's? posted by freddyi on March 8, 2007 at 18:33:16:

freddyi,

For those who don't know about them, there were in the 18th century, pedal sections made for both clavichords and harpsichords. These pedal sections awere independent instruments like a platform that the clavichord or harpsichord sat on and allowed organists to practice organ music wihtout having to pay someone- or more than one person- to pump the bellows in some freezing and probably German church.

Though rare, there are historic examples of these extant and reproductions of these pedal sections made today. I heard Bach's Gmin Fantasy and Fugue on a pedal clavichord in Italy in 1993. It was interesting, in a medium room with a 10' ceiling, it was wonderfully articulate, but in the much larger 12th C. stone church performance venue, the pedal sound was lost. I think the 16' pedal stop was too dark and there was not enough penetrating power behind the sound, but in the right space, a fascinating sound and compelling listening.

In the late 60's early 70's, the organist E power Biggs had a pedal section made up by his harpsichord builder of choice, John Challis. Challis was a innovator and later in his career, used almumium pinblocks and soundboards were not Swiss pine, but a secret layering of aluminum and foam. The bridges look like drilled out aircraft structure. Biggs made a coupe (?) of recordings on this instrument that are really exciting music making- Columbia MS 6804 starts with the Passacaglia and Fugue in Cmin and ends with the great Gmin Fant & Fugue- two of my favourite Bach organ pieces. This is so much fun and my copy is so worn, I bought a back up copy.

But, except for a couple of recordings- I think either George Malcolm or Joseph Payne may have recorded plus a pedal clavichord recording or two, I also haven't seen much of anything in this genre for a long while. The thing is, the repetoire and playing have to be carefully done as the sustain of the pedal part is fundamental to the organ counterpoint in creating the bass line (re: "Pasacaglia & Fugue") and the stringed pedal boards don't have that long sustain.

I agree completely, it would be nice to have new rcordings of an interesting historic way of playing organ repetoire or at least reissue Bigg's works.

Cheers,

Bambi B

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