Previous Recital – 8 October 2021

Lunchtime Recital 8th October 2021
Stephen Jones plays his Harpsichord

Stephen had brought his harpsichord, a copy of a Ruckers – a Flemish family dynasty of harpsichord makers. He explained that he had purchased it for £25, thus saving it from a journey to the recycling centre, but had then had it extensively restored and modified to make it more playable.

Ruckers were very popular around the turn of the seventeenth century and copiously decorated with inlaid woodwork. The decorations on his harpsichord were painted on to a hand-prepared paper but looked (from a little distance) like the real thing!

Stephen played us music from the Fitzwilliam Virginal Book and Parthenia, two important collections of keyboard music from the 17^th century and also dance music by William Byrd, Peter Philips and John Bull – and all accompanied by his informative commentary.

Give that he’d just had a rather painful tooth pulled (we didn’t notice a thing) we are exceptionally grateful for a great recital.