Gould: Byrd and Gibbons recordings

I picked up this recording today at Tower Records for $12. I hadn't heard it in 20 years. My remembrance was that is was a ludicrous attempt. Listening again today was a revelation. As strange as playing Tudor keyboard masters on a Steinway is, Gould seemed to have a real affinity for the music. The question is, why didn't he take the time to learn harpsichord technique and record them on the proper instrument? That said, it is a great introduction to this marvelous music (which I play every day). Gould actually said in interviews that Orlando Gibbons was his favorite composer. Has anyone else heard this recording? Does anyone beside me play this fascinating repertoire? Just curious.

Yes.

If you want more, look for these three titles: Pierre Hantai: Bull's Goodnight Colin Tilney: Elizabethan Virginal Music Davitt Moroney: Complete Keyboard Works of William Byrd. All first class harpsichordists.

This CD is not good, it is just excellent. It's one of my reasons to want to play.

But none of them is Gould playing piano. :*)

I've played Byrd, Gibbons, Dowland, Cutting and similar Renaissance lute music on the classical guitar but not yet on the piano. Any suggestions for sheet music collections of material from this time period arranged for the piano?

BTW, I feel that it is perfectly acceptable to play lute music on a modern classical guitar and early keyboard music on a modern piano. You use the instrument that you have learned to play and that allows you to express yourself. It may differ from the historical performance but it can still be good music and sometimes even better than the historical performance. I have recordings of Renaissance and Baroque music on both historical instruments and modern instruments and I enjoy them both.

- - /****************************************************** **************** * Gary M. Letchinger * San Diego, California * Reply to the newsgroup only ******************************************************* ***************/

Dover has inexpensive editions of: Fitzwilliam Virginal Book (2 volumes, more than 400 pages each book for about $16 each) William Byrd: My Ladye Nevilles Booke of Virginal Music Sweelinck: Keyboard music. If you really like Elizabethan music and want the best editions, visit the website of Stainer and Bell and look at the Musica Britannica series.

I don't have any, and would also like recommendations.

Of course it is (IMHO). There's some reason why instruments evolved. Most of them just sound better than the ancient ones. It's always fun to experiment with ancient instruments, but it's probably silly to dismiss the modern ones just because they were not the intended original ones... My feeling is that the modern harp sounds nicer than the ancient celtic harp, but this may be caused by lack of experience (of current performers) with the old instrument.

But the Elizabethan music does sound silly on the modern piano. It is still great music, it just makes better sense on a virginal or harpsichord. That aside, Gould had a better feeling for it than most pianists.

Do you have scores for the Gibbons in that CD?

Yes. Stainer & Bell publishes the complete Gibbons keyboard works in Musica Britannica volume 20. Stainer finally has a secure website so you can order the books online. The address is : www.stainer.co.uk

Didn't I rush to its defense as you excoriated a while back on this very board? But it's always good to keep an open mind, and give something another try. I have always adored this album, and felt that it was one of the best recordings Gould did, and was clearly marvelous music that he had a great affection for.

Actually his beloved Chickering.

The question He did at least one recording of Handel Suites on the harpsichord-and I think not one of his most successful outings. I always object to the doctrinaire view that it must be on the original instrument-when you can play the piano the way he did-who cares? There's room for different approaches-don't you think particularly so with the Elizabethan music?

That said, it is a great introduction to this

I've always liked this music and also the earlier German and Italian-I wish I could play more than the simpler pieces I do.

But back to Gould, most of whose recordings I know very well-I didn't discover a few until until much later-some of which were not released until later. For example, the only 3 Scarlatti recordings he ever made-a great pity there isn't more-and it would seem to appeal to his temperment-but alas he called it 'pop corn music' and wouldn't record any more. (I wonder if he felt the shadow of the great Horowitz Scarlatti-Gould despite his protestations of pure art was very competitive)

Have you head his CPE Bach Wurttemberg Sonata? up his alley I think And what he could have done on the piano with some of the CPE Bach fantasies?This cd also has the first, very posthumous release of the Fantasy from Chromatic fant and Fugue-he loved the fugue but hated the fantasy-so he said.