Latest CD Release:
I am pleased to offer this new CD at a lower price:
£12 including postage within the UK
(Additional £2 for overseas delivery)
Bach at Home Keyboard Pieces
Rarely heard masterworks by the greatest of all composers.
Most great composers have left us countless pieces of music which rarely get heard.
They may not be part of a better-known set, or may contain odd features which are not typical of the master’s more familiar style.
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Colin’s latest CD features music of this kind.
His three previous Bach recordings (J. S. Bach – by Arrangement; the Goldberg Variations, and the Well-tempered Clavier) have all attracted extravagant critical praise.
Here we have a collection of unfamiliar keyboard gems, which all make immediately compelling listening. Also, as a theme, the programme investigates how Bach carried his organ-playing style home from St. Thomas’ church, allowing it to make its mark upon his music for domestic instruments.
Washington DC Recitals
In late July I returned from playing a second pair of concerts in Washington DC, for Capriccio Baroque. The first recital featured Bach’s mentors: Froberger, Böhm, Telemann (the latter two both friends of Bach), Buxtehude, Fischer, and Muffat. This took place in a large modern church with an almost cathedral-like acoustic, and prompted an enthusiastic response in the Washington Classical Review:
…..The harpsichord sounded as good as it looked. Under Booth’s fingers, the high notes sparkled without grating; the bass had generous richness, with just a touch of plangent edge, and none of the excess that can make extended harpsichord listening wearisome. Booth cunningly varied his use of manuals and stops to create a myriad of colors, and smoothly articulated even the most daunting pileups of trills and runs.
The second was an intimate and thoroughly enjoyable house concert, at which I played Louis and Francois Couperin, and D’Anglebert. For both performances I used the 2-manual harpsichord after Fleischer which I had originally made for my own use, but which was sold last year to Carolyn Winter for her Capriccio concerts. This harpsichord has been widely praised, and has been a great success in Washington, being chosen by Jean Rondeau and Justin Taylor amongst other leading harpsichordists: it definitely went to the right place.
My final harpsichord.
Now SOLD
(Sadly, I can’t justify having two doubles!)
Currently housed in the workshop of Peter Barnes, where more photos can be seen, and enquiries directed.
This harpsichord was completed in 2020. It is based on the design of an anonymous 2-manual instrument in the Musical Instrument Museum, Leipzig, no. 74 in Herbert Henkel’s catalogue.
The original is considered to be German, made around 1700. It is unsigned, and has been internally altered at least once, but the basic design is very convincing, and attracted me to make a harpsichord particularly suited to the classic German repertoire of Bach, Handel, etc..
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The compass of the original is GG – c3: a typical late 17th century compass. It was only necessary to extend the instrument a little in the treble to increase the keyboard to GG – e3, adding a transposer for use at a = 415 and a = 440. Stringing is in Rose iron and brass. Plectra are black Delrin, which has been shown to have exceptional longevity over my years as a harpsichord maker. The octave register is quilled in white Delrin, for ease of voicing.
The original’s Italianate filigree soundboard rose has been imitated, and additional decoration around the bridges and on the jack rail is in red and gold. The original’s rather odd Italian-style stand (probably from a different instrument) has been replaced by one in a German style. With removable legs and feet, it can be completely dismantled.
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The touch is firm and reassuring, and the tone of this harpsichord is unusually bright and clear, with a noble bass. I have found it well-suited to counterpoint, having unusual balance and clarity in all parts of the compass.
Johann Caspar Friedrich Fischer – Eight Suites of 1698
These performances are persuasive, catching the balance of French and German styles. For the rarely recorded repertoire and the musical charm, this is an important release and an easy recommendation. Bradley Lehman – American Record Guide.
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J. C. F. Fischer – perhaps J. S. Bach’s most important mentor, and 15 years his senior, gave Bach the concept of a set of preludes and fugues in all the keys.
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He even borrowed some themes from Fischer’s fugues and reworked preludes from these suites, for use in the Well-tempered Clavier.
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Bach also found inspiration in Fischer’s published works, for a new, ambitious and varied kind of
keyboard suite, and his four orchestral suites were clearly inspired by Fischer’s successful suites,
influenced by French models.
None of this would have happened, had Fischer’s music not also been of the highest quality and
originality. The 1698 set, titled in German Blumen-büchlein (Little book of Flowers), was published
when Fischer was only 25. Each suite offers a surprise, yet they form a coherent whole.
These wonderful pieces were recorded using two harpsichords, both of which have a particularly
beautiful tone, and which were made in Colin’s workshop.
New Liz Lane collaboration:
Liz Lane’s beautiful new piece ‘Enchanted Light’ was recently featured on BBC Radio 3.
For this spectacular video, she asked for a contribution from me, playing ottavino.
Harpsichord signed Nicholas Celini 1661
Now Sold
This remarkable instrument has now been sold
This series of illustrated articles describes how I undertook the restoration of the instrument, which I acquired in 2013.
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This YouTube video shows the restored instrument (which I've used for several of my recordings) being played.
New commissioned piece
My collaboration with composer Liz Lane recently led to this stunning little piece, which has delighted her followers as well as mine.
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The sheet music is available for purchase on the Publications page.
I have been developing a Youtube channel, which can let me reach more people with my music (for free), and which shows a number of my instruments being played. If you like the videos, do share them with friends.
J.S.Bach’s Well-tempered Clavier
Now complete
This complete recording has received overwhelming praise. Click here for a review summary.
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Stephen Malinowski who had already chosen to create a set of videos for The Goldberg Variations, has completed videos for the whole of WTC Book II.
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Here’s his video for Prelude and Fugue in A minor, Book II. This was the piece chosen by Andrew Macgregor for inclusion in BBC Radio 3’s Record Review.
J S Bach
The Well-tempered
Clavier, Book One
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(2 CDs) £14.00
J S Bach
The Well-tempered
Clavier, Book Two
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(2 CDs) £14.00
Capriccio Concerts, Washington DC
I recently played two solo recitals for Capriccio Concerts, in Washington DC, featuring English music. The first, exclusively of William Byrd and his pupil Peter Philips, was described as “spectacular”, and the concert organiser described the playing overall as “positively ethereal - I’ve now had a number of stellar harpsichordists come through Capriccio.
While comparisons between players are neither meaningful nor really feasible, you rank amongst the very top I’ve ever heard.”
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An invitation to give three concerts in 2020 was postponed due to Covid 19. We hope 2021 will allow them!
New release : The Melodious Birde
Keyboard Music by William Byrd
My CD of keyboard music by William Byrd The Melodious Birde, attracted praise from our leading expert on Byrd, Richard Turbet, In The Consort: “Great playing, gorgeous sound. Clarity and empathy are Booth’s forte…the finest version on disc”
The CD is available for purchase here
A harpsichord by Nicholas Celini
In November 2012 I was fortunate to be able to buy an exciting old harpsichord, and during 2013, following a careful examination, I undertook its restoration. The following series of articles shows the instrument before, during and after this process.
Use the following links to go directly to each article. The topics are:
The Project - Background
Restoration of the Celini harpsichord - Part One, Summary
Restoration of the Celini harpsichord - Part Two, Assessment of the interior
Restoration of the Celini harpsichord - Part Three, Completion
The Celini harpsichord as a musical instrument
The Celini harpsichord being played - videos
The audio clips on this page are taken from the CD “Grounds for Pleasure - Keyboard Music from 17th Century England”, played on the newly restored Celini harpsichord. For more information about the CD, see the product page
The project
The instrument appears to be an original 17th century harpsichord, made in Narbonne in the extreme south of France, and apparently by an Italian. The maker’s name and the instrument itself both have a combination of French and Italian features.
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I was both excited and daunted, since the instrument was not in a very good state, and had been through a rather unsatisfactory restoration in the 1980s. (The keyboards which are shown in the photos date from this restoration.)
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The sound had been captured on record in 2003, by Christopher Stembridge, who had connections with the owner. After examining the instrument, I thought both the iron stringing and pitch used at the time of that recording were inappropriate. Nevertheless it was a beautiful sound, and I can say that after the current restoration it is even better - at an appropriate pitch for the place and period. It is now strung in brass, and the pitch is the later 17th century French standard pitch, around a minor third below modern pitch.
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The Celini harpsichord features in several specialist publications, and its origins are not questioned. I have reservations about certain aspects of it, but am in any case very lucky to now own a splendid old instrument which plays and sounds extremely fine.
Old harpsichords, particularly early French ones, are rare. So it is my duty and pleasure to share my good fortune with others, with whom I will happily discuss my experience.
Restoration of the Celini Harpsichord (Part One)
This article offers a technical summary. There is a risk that it will be too brief for the specialist, and perhaps too technical for the uninitiated. My apologies in advance. Feel free to contact me for any clarification.
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It was important to try to establish from the start which parts of the instrument were likely to be original, and which were later additions. This proved difficult. The decoration appeared old, and it is possible that the instrument was constructed from parts as old as the date on the nameboard (1661) but at some later date - a not uncommon practice. Any old instrument which appears without a clearly documented history must be viewed critically, and this one is no exception.
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The harpsichord’s history prior to its being offered for auction in 1987 is unclear, since the restorer through whose hands it passed at that time is no longer alive, and records have been lost. It was understood at the auction that the jacks and keyboards were made just before that time and after examining the stand I concluded that it too was not original. Not only was it more appropriate in style to that of an instrument from Spain or Portugal, but only a few portions of the wood actually looked old. The stand is therefore now in storage, and I have built a new one in the 17th century French style.
Cleaning the interior of the harpsichord revealed interesting details: there were marks which may have been caused by drops of molten wax before the build-up of the dirt, and scratch-markings from the design stage which seem to have been altered later when the instrument was assembled.
The string lengths proved to be of that awkward 17th century intermediate length which suits either brass strings at a low pitch, or iron ones at a high pitch. No original strings were present, and I had to remove the existing iron ones to carry out the cleaning and restoration of the inside of the harpsichord. After conducting a trial I decided to re-string the instrument with brass, as this produced a good sound and a pitch which would have accorded with 17th century French practice.
Restoration of the Celini Harpsichord (Part Two)
This article describes the removal of the bottom-boards and assessment of the interior.
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The extremely small distance between the soundboard level and the top of the case leaves very little space for the jacks to rise and fall. Therefore the keyboard coupler fitted during the 1987 restoration could never have worked properly. Indeed, discussion with colleagues who were involved with the instrument at an earlier date confirmed that at the time of the 2003 recording it was not possible to make the coupler work. This explains why it had not been used in the recording - rather than for stylistic or historical reasons, as I had first thought.
It was therefore clear that no shifting keyboard coupler was part of the original design. This would conform to what we know (and even in the 1960s Frank Hubbard observed): that is, that a shove coupler was seldom if ever a feature of French (or any other harpsichords) at the time of this instrument (still assuming the name-board date of 1661 is original). Most likely, a solo 4 foot was originally available on the upper keyboard. This is the arrangement which the present restoration has provided.
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So the keyboards (which were well-made and not visually unsuitable) were modified and the coupler removed. They, and the jacks and registers, were stored while the instrument itself was partially dismantled.
It was curious that the keyboards as fitted could only just be jammed under the fixed name-board. This had been glued in place, which would not have been normal practice and by soaking the joints it wasn’t difficult to remove. The oak wrestplank was revealed and its surfaces, where not normally seen, were very roughly finished. This was encouraging, since I was on the lookout for signs left by modern machinery - the best indication of fakery!
I removed the bottom-boards in the same way. The interior showed signs of scorching, but two of the braces were dowelled in place in a way which suggested that the bottom had been removed at some stage. This must have been before the external decoration was applied in its present form.
The framing and soundboard barring were uncomplicated. Two small ribs passed under the tenor area of the bridge, but were too short to have prevented deforming of the soundboard. I made new light ribs and glued them in place, making the soundboard flat, and avoiding the problem of strings buzzing against it. (The ribs were cut away where they passed under the bridge, as were those found in place.)
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An extra brace was fitted, which greatly reduced distortion in the case by taking the strain produced by the strings in the treble area.
The bottom-boards were then replaced, and holes which had been cut in the bottom using circular hole-saws were replaced by rectangular pieces.
Restoration of the Celini Harpsichord (Part Three)
This final article describes regulating the instrument to make it playable and restoring the decoration.
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With the harpsichord reassembled, all that remained to make it playable was to re-install the keyboards and action parts, then regulate it for playing. The new strings had by this time become quite stable and remained at the 17th century pitch of a = c390 (around a tone below modern pitch) without any risk of breaking.
The keyboards and jacks, which had been made during the previous restoration, after some considerable re-working were retained. The coupler (which, as described earlier, had never worked) was removed.
The bone sharps were also all taken off, and the upper manual ones and lower ones now changed places, since it was more appropriate to have slightly longer sharps on the lower (main) keyboard.
A considerable number of keys had become twisted and warped - this had to be corrected. The keydip could not be controlled by the felt under the jackrail, since the rail was too shallow and flexible. A new front rail was therefore added to both keyframes and cloth fitted, to regulate the keydip at the front of the keys. This is a normal feature of Italian harpsichords and far less common elsewhere.
The jacks are of walnut. This too is often found in old Italian instruments. The dimensions of the jacks are quite small, making the touch light and the voicing (that is, the strength given to the plectra) also has to be light, to balance this.
Since there is now no coupler, the lower keyboard governs the two registers which operate at normal pitch, as in the 2-manual Italian by Migliai at Nuremberg and, as far as the evidence can suggest, in several other early French harpsichords.
The remaining work was to partially restore the damaged decorative work, both inside and out. I decided not to “overdo” this, which I felt would have altered the character of the instrument. Some “before and after” photos will illustrate the process:
Much of the detailed external arabesques and lettering only remained as ghost images - as holes in the gold layer onto which the detail had been applied. The original paint which must have filled these holes, but had not adhered well to the gold, had been worn away. Some was still visible in a few places, and this was imitated now, to make the motifs and lettering somewhat bolder.
The Celini harpsichord as a musical instrument
Much of the detailed external arabesques and lettering only remained as ghost images - as holes in the gold layer onto which the detail had been applied. The original paint which must have filled these holes, but had not adhered well to the gold, had been worn away. Some was still visible in a few places, and this was imitated now, to make the motifs and lettering somewhat bolder.
When exploring suitable repertoire for the instrument, I was struck to find that music by the important early French composer Louis Couperin* worked particularly effectively. The long sustain allows for the very slow and reflective performance both of pieces marked to be played “très lentement” (extremely slowly), and of the famous unmeasured preludes for which Louis is famous in the harpsichord world today.
(The uncle of François Couperin, who died a year before this harpsichord was dated.)
At the same time, the tone can have an attack which the main, lower keyboard commands when both registers are used together. This gives dramatic force to the music when required. It is a very expressive harpsichord indeed.
I will be recording music by Louis Couperin later in 2014. My first recording on this instrument, though, (now available on CD from Soundboard Records) features English music from the seventeenth century. The music chosen, including a number of Grounds, demonstrates how music by the English “virginalists” (Byrd, Gibbons, etc.) and music from a century later by Purcell, can sound equally at home on this instrument. This repertoire formed the basis of several well-received recitals during 2013, and gives an opportunity for exploring the different sounds available from the instrument.
The restored Celini harpsichord being played
My colleague Dr. Peter Mole has kindly made some short videos of music played on the restored Celini harpsichord. These are just a taster (as video sound quality cannot match that of CD. Full details of all CDs are available on the CDs (Soundboard records label) page.)
Animation videos on YouTube
A collaboration with video artist Stephen Malinowski has led to a complete series of stunning video animations on YouTube of my recording of Bach’s Goldberg Variations which can be bought here.