You can call me Johann. But don't expect me to answer to that.
The harpsichord is an instantly recognizable instrument.
Nothing on the planet sounds like one. And very few instruments are as quickly identified with their era as a harpsichord.
But therein lies both its strength and weakness.
Like the fuzz-guitar tone from the 1960s, a harpsichord cannot transcend its own era, which is the Renaissance and Baroque periods. So if you don’t like Renaissance or Baroque music, you probably don’t like the harpsichord.
That’s not likely to be a problem unless you’re the Highlander and you’ve been alive since the 1300s and you really hated the Baroque era. But some people prefer more modern-sounding instruments.
Me? I don’t have a preference other than I want my music to challenge me, to vary its tone and tempo. Harpsichord music is swell for the first five minutes. Then it bores me to tears. Besides, every time I hear the harpsichord I think of the episode from Star Trek called “The Squire of Gothos,” which was about an alien who captured the Enterprise and entertained them in his castle, occasionally playing the harpsichord just to show off. (Kirk put a halt to the squire’s shenanigans toot sweet.)
These are the compositions on this CD:
BWV 1052 – 1738 (Bach was 53)
BWV 1053 – 1741 (Bach was 56)
BWV 1054 – 1740 (Bach was 55)
BWV 1055 – 1742 (Bach was 57)
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