Bach on the Clavichord played by Michael Thomas
Released by Brentford, Middlesex, England: Oryx, 1231 [197-?], Series title: Bach collector’s series
Recorded by Oryx Recordings Limited, Text set in Perpetua by West Surrey Printing Co., Cover design : Bill James
Cover printed by West Brother. Ltd
Michael Thomas plays a clavichord built by himself
Thanks to Daniël, who let me browse the famous Daniël Beuman harpsichord collection

Side A
Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750) Suite in f minor BWV 823
00:00 Prelude
02:22 Sarabande
04:40 Gigue
05:52 Air & 10 variations in the Italian Manner BWV 989

Side B
16:20 Fantasy in c minor BWV 921
20:18 Fantasy in g minor BWV 917
23:13 Chromatic fantasy & fugue in d minor BWV 903

The Clavichord cannot be heard at any considerable distance; hence some call it the Dumb Spinet; whence it comes to be particularly used among the nuns, who learn to play, and are unwilling to disturb the dormitory”. Thus, James Grassineau comments in his Musical Dictionary of 1740.
A small, quiet, unassuming instrument, the clavichord in fact
produces one of the most varied and rich sounds of any instrument,
by means of a mechanism which is brilliant in its simplicity.
The harpsichord plucks a string; having plucked it, the plucking
agent then falls back over the vibrating string, the damper
following. This must produce a jangle which, however slight,
is unavoidable and extraneous. The piano hits the string with a
soft felt hammer, with separate damping. The piano system can
communicate variations of touch; the harpsichord cannot.
The basis of the clavichord is a set of strings, permanently
damped at one end. As the pivoted key is pressed down, the
other end rises. Onto this other end is mounted a piece of brass
(a tangent), which rises and comes into contact with the string
a few inches away from tile damped end as the key is pressed .
As the brass tangent hits the string, it cuts the main part of the
string off from the damping, leaving it free to vibrate; at the
same time, it sets the free section of the string vibrating. When
the tangent is allowed to fall back, the string is automatically
damped.
The clavichord, like the piano, can communicate variations of
touch. But at the same time, since it is the tangent fixed to the
key which not only sets the string vibrating but also determines
the vibrating length, a vibrato effect can be obtained by moving
the key, and thus the tangent, from side to side.
The combination of the rich sound of brass striking the string,
variations of touch, and possibility of vibrato, makes the clavichord
·one of the most expressive of instruments. The fact that
in a room its sound is almost a whisper can be a distinct advantage
when practising; it is considerate towards the neighbours, be
they 18th or 20th century, and its quiet introspective voice
tends to induce a greater mood of quiet concentration on the
part of the player.
Most of the pieces heard on this record are probably unknown
to record listeners; they do not belong to the groups of Suites
or Preludes & Fugues which are normally recorded.
The Suite in f minor, )3WY 823, is placed by Schmieder in his
thematic Bach Catalogue between the French & English
Suites, and the German Suites (Partitas). In fact, it is only a
fragment; the Prelude, Sarabande and Gigue would doubtless
have been accompanied by other movements or dances, which
were either never completed, or have since been lost. The
Aria Variata aIla maniera Italiana in a minor was probably written
at Weimar, about 1709; some tremendous stretches for the hand
suggest that an instrument with pedals might have been originally
intended.

#Clavichord #MichaelThomasHarpsichord