*_The rest of the documentation 1/1_* Le piano de Stein n'ayant pas évolué dans tous les principes de construction viennois jusqu'à la fin du XVIIIe siècle, il est évident que ,le piano-forte de Beethoven, offert par le Comte Waldstein en 1787, était identique à celui décrit par Mozart dix ans auparavant - piano-forte très différent que celui muni d'un cadre métallique, équipé nouvellement de cordes d'acier remplaçant les cordes de cuivre dans les graves dont Thalberg écrivait peu après 1830 : «Alors, le piano acquit une sonorité particulière n'ayant plus aucune analogie avec le clavecin ». ~ C'est qu'avant cette date, le piano possédait encore une sonorité sèche et cristalline, avec une attaque très nette, ainsi que le clavecin. Donc, I·e piano· que Beethoven a clairement entendu, avant le début de sa surdité, possédait encore nombre de caractéristiques du clavecin : peu de différence 'entre le piano et le forte, quoique ces deux nuances étaient t'rès «terrassées", c'est-à-dire, par paliers, ainsi que sur le clavecin - c'est tout ce que la construction et le principe mécanique permettaient alors. Lorsque plus tard, le maître posséda un Broadwood et un Erard, les visiteurs rapportent qu'il les démolit en quelques semaines. Un témoin écrit: « Le piano était en aussi mauvais état que le compositeur sourd" . Beethoven n'a évidemment jamais entendu un piano-forte qui se rapp-rocha, en aucune façon , du piano moderne. Toutefois, il est intéressant de souligner que c'est seulement à partir de la 21' Sonate (1804) que «Beethoven évoluant dans son écriture, incité en cela par l'évolution même de l'instrument, écrit maintenant pour des «pianistes modernes" ; 'c'est ainsi que le clavecin disparaît du titre des oeuvres de Beethoven (Prod'hqmme) . Les trois Sonates de Beethoven de ce présent enregistrement sont trop connues et ont été trop souvent analysées pour les reprendre ici dans leurs détails. Nous laissons seulement l'auditeur découvrlr un aspect encore inconnu de ces Sonates. HUGUETTE GREMY-CHAULIAC Alors qu'aujourd'hui un exécutant de musique de clavecin, fut-il organiste ou claveciniste , est toujours à l'origine un pianiste ; vers les années 1780, il n'en était pas de même: l'exécutant d 'alors organiste-pianiste , était toujours , à j 'origine, un claveciniste. Et lei était Beethoven. Les Maîtres de la teChnique trad itionn elle du clavecin pouvaient donc s'y sentir plus à l 'aise que sur j'instrument nouveau venu et mieux à même d'y rendre les subtilités de toucher et les finesses d'expression auxquelles ils étaient accoutumés. Ce n'est pas le moindre mérite de cet enregistrement que de nous faire entendre les véritables ressources d'un grand clavecin de 1780 à la faveur de cette ancienne et admirable technique qui était celle notamment de J-ean-Sébastien Bach. Car, si les pianistes de 1780 la connaissait parfaitement et lui empruntait beaucoup de ses sec'rets tout en perfectionnant leur propre technique, ils finirent par la laisser mourir, faute de raison d'être. Celle-ci disparut donc avec la disparition du dernier claveciniste. L'application des prinCipes mêmes de la grande école du clavecin ti rée aujourd 'hui de l 'oubli donne une vie incomparable aux Sonates exécutées par Huguette Gremy-Chauliac dans cet enregistrement. Il permet de comprendre et explique mieux que tout autre argument comment et pourquoi Beethoven put ajouter comme il le fait au titre de ces Sonates «pour Clavecin ou Piano-Forte » - ~ per Cembalo o pjano-forte" . Antoine Geoffroy Dechaume Huguette Gremy-Chauliac, qui poursuit une carrière de claveciniste Internationale, depuis 1961, joue sur un instfllment remarquable. En effet, elle possède la première copie mondiale du clavecin Ruckers de 1646, refait par Pascal Taskin en 1780 et conservé au Musée instrumental du Conservatoire National de Paris; cet instrument, réplique fidèle de l 'original, réalisé selon les techniques de l'époque, a été exécuté en 1969 par le facteur canadien Hubert Bédard , actuel Directeur de l'Atelier de Restauration du Musée instrumental du Conservatoire de .Paris . Il faut souligner que Taskin avait apporté des perfectionnements à l'ancien instrument: élargissement de la table d'harmonie , adjonction d'un jeu de buffle qui, par sa couleur sombre, don'ne une plus grande possibilité d 'expression , les cordes étant grattées par un plectre en peau de buffle. C'est le type même de cet instrument qui permettait, à la fin du XVIIIe siècle, l'exécution de Sonates de Beethoven, en leur conférant une couleur et des plans sonores très particuliers. C'est sur ce merveilleux instrument de l 'interprète que le présent enregistrement a été réalisé.
@@c0mput3r80y Actually, back in the day, composers used to compose in such a way that, their pieces would work on both instruments such as the fortepiano, but also on clavichords or harpsichords
I am glad you found it but better thank Robert Tifft who provided me with the material so I could publish it. It is a loss and a shame these precious recordings are no longer available.
Isn't this one of the only recordings of Sonata No. 14 in C♯m in existence on harpsichord? Seems I read somewhere that it's only been recorded twice on harpsichord....
Look at all these harpsichord haters in the comments! I guess they prefer the timid & banal sounds of the piano rather than the rich and full luster of the harpsichord
I realised that keyboard works by Haydn, Mozart and Beethoven were written for early pianoforte and harpsichord interchangeably... but I must admit, these sonatas by Beethoven really do work and sound surprisingly good on harpsichord. People forget that these composers lived in a time before the modern piano as we know was yet fully developed.
Always been a MAJOR fan of the harpsichord for unknown reasons. I won’t pretend to be a big fan of classical music but I do love several piano sonatas written by some of the greats, Moonlight, Bagatelle, Prelude, Nocturne to name a few. They’ve popped up throughout my life consistently like they’re stalking me. Anyway, very enjoyable and thank you.
Yes it is a treasure I did not know either. Thanks to Robert Tifft we can enjoy this milestone in the history of harpsichord recordings.! The only minor detail is the Readers Digest association with the (cheap) cover.
I love how in the comments of songs on the harpsichord there are no riots or frivolous discussions, we are what we consume and here is the living proof.
Thanks Robert. This is the best of both worlds. What a cheer delight! I was humming the adagio cantabile without any awareness I heard afterwards from my colleagues at the office :-).
Presto Agitato is simply outstandingly flawless on Harpsichord, such a unique atmosphere lol. I’ve genuinely wanted this for so long. Say what you will, but Presto Agitato was made solely for the Harpsichord, even if Beethoven didn’t know it. Almost too good to be true.
Thank you for posting, and the Harpsichord version is interesting and in the publication of the Opus 27, the Harpsichord receives top billing (although the manuscript has definite piano crescendo-dim marking).
Wow... I'm really amazed by the dynamics of the harpsichord. I didn't think such an instrument would be able to handle the Prestissimo of Sonata No. 1. The low rumble of the bass arpeggios was always something I appreciated about this piece and whoever played it nailed it!
kingjensen Actually it's easier to play very fast on the harpsichord, and there are ways of giving the impression of dynamic change (also facilitated by two keyboards).
It's a harpsichord, but with a "peau de buffle" register. Instead of quills, jacks are voiced with leather and gives true dynamics. It's an invention atributted to Pascal Taskin, common in late XVIII century harpsichords
I play cello. I was in love with a very beautiful woman when I was in seminary, who could sing the Miserere and play Organ. I never approached her in any way, but for a year I learned to play only one thing on piano, the Moonlight Sonata. Before I left, I played it for her. Our last words I said "I love you, and you have been the only one I have loved. Goodbye." She wrote me later on that she loved me, too, before her mother emailed me, very poorly imitating her style of eloquence and raffinement, to tell me it was impossible.
Such a sad story with high impact. I guess you will bring along the Moonlight Sonata for the rest of your life with such associations. I hope you recovered from that blow.
Op.21no.2 mvt.1 : Now I can understand this kind of music is definitely uninterpretable for a harpsichord. mvt.2 : A perfectly delightful harpsichrd piece. Also a good use of different manuals. mvt.3 : A virtuosal harpsichird piece but alas, harpsichord is just not as dramatic as piano...
Op.13 mvt.1 : Clearly shows weaknesses of harpsichord. Harpsichord completely fails at the intro. Also the fact that it is hard to make pianissimo notes in harpsichord is doing harm to the return of the intro at the end. Op.13 mvt.2 : The first part sounds plain and muted, but harpsichord is actually doing very good at second part and on. Op.13 mvt.3 : Harpsichord makes this a completely different kind of music. It is amazing that a single compositition can be a masterpiece for two instruments of completely different character, in two different ways. Also a very good use of stops.
A lot of music that Beethoven wrote was composed not only thinking in fortepiano, but also in harpsichord and clavichord. Beethoven formed with this instruments and in 19th century he still played them (the harpsichord and the clavichord). There’s no only one way to play Beethoven’s music.
A slight necro-posting 4 years later, but I disagree about op13mt1. I agree that intro sounds very underwhelming, but I don’t think it’s because of harpsichord, but because of poor decisions in transcribing the piece from piano. Overall to me mt1 is the strongest performance on this record, it shows that this music can and should (also) be played on harpsichord. It doesn’t utilise the conventional classical composing techniques you would expect from solo harpsichord pieces, but there’s still a unique character to it, and that’s precisely why it’s interesting. At least to me it made me perceive both harpsichord as an instrument, and Beethoven’s music in a new way. Like “oh, it can also sound like that”. To be honest, other pieces on this record didn’t really have the same effect for me, moonlight especially, I understand that beauty’s in the eye of the beholder, but I can’t see why it’s being mentioned so many times in this comment section over op13, all 3 mts of moonlight here just sound incohesive to me with all those stops.
Very interesting!.. I think that these compositions were usually played in harpsichords, because at the time of Beethoven, there were not to many Pianofortes!
It is good to hear from you again. You are right, it was written for harpsichord or piano forte on the title page of the GRANDE SONATE PATHETIQUE (Suite et fin).
@@HarpsichordVinylGallery No. J.S. Bach himself sold pianofortes a receipt was found decades ago he died in 1750 so evidently earlier than even Scarlatti or Handel's death . Balbastre should certainly be played on a pianoforte . The hammers and metal strings and frame are stronger and allow tonal variety unlike anything stops could ever do . This is indeed interesting but I doubt if Beethoven ever even saw a harpsichord . By 1770 they were replaced in many households. Read Mozart's letters he talks about his instruments and Stein keyboards -those early pianos were easily carried and his letters are full of talk about "like oil" phrasing . Dat ain't possible on a harpsichord not that mellifluousness is impossible since the Harpsichord's plenums allow enough reverberation . not like the Bosendorfers and our Steinways . I havent visited Salzburg but I'm going to find out I bet even Leopold was using pianofortes (there is not a lot of difference . Also the early concerto Mozart played as a child by Wagenseil is for pianoforte . Find the old printed editions . Klavier means keyboard .
@@MrInterestingthings I am just quoting the title page of the Grande Sonate Pathétique by Ludwig Van Beethoven (see 13:15 in the film: pour clavecin ou pianoforte . You can try to argue that J.S. Bach have sold pianofortes or that Beethoven never had seen a harpsichord and what Mozart and Balbastre were doing is irrelevant however I will not bite. Stick to the facts or mention valid sources that Beethoven never had seen a harpsichord while it is written on the title page.
C'est un peu normal tout de même mais ayant entendu H Grémy Chauliac les jouer de façon magistrale ça éclaire ! Sinon nous ne boudons pas de jouer sur pianoforte aussi (copie de Schanz)
Very inspiring, enjoyable and instructive. Experimentation like this is what the classical music world vitally needs. Not populism and dumbing down. I play plucked string instruments from the 16th and 19th centuries and play each other's music for a change, but it also opens up the musical imagination and understanding. I hope a pianist (or even a harpsichordist) won't be too purist about hearing Beethoven or even later composers being played on the harpsichord. After all, pianists don't think twice about playing Bach, Couperin or Scarlatti, and their interpretations could be improved by listening to the harpsichord versions.
It seems hypocritical for a pianist to feel and act in a purist manner toward Beethoven being played on the harpsichord since the harpsichord was still played frequently during Beethoven's time.
Fantastico. Rivela non solo il linguaggio anfibio, di transizione tra il clavicembalo e il fortepiano del giovane Beethoven. Ma anche tutto il debito verso lo stile Empfindsamer di Cpe Bach e dell'Haydn "stuermer" delle sinfonie, sonate e fantasie in modo minore. Rivelatore.
Thank you for this absolutely lovely interpretation! As a lover of Beethoven, and also the Baroque Period, I applaud these versions! Who knew that they would be so wonderful to hear on the Harpsicord. I wish I could find this on CD or digital download. By the way-do you plan anymore of these interpretations again? Thank you, Charles S.
Unfortunately this is a rare recording and never released on cd. I only got it from a friend in the US and did not know of its existence. When you like harpsichord and Beethoven it is a fantastic recording indeed.
Huguette Grémy-Chauliac neéé 1928 Le clavecin, ne fut pas son premier instrument de prédilection, puisqu'elle étudia d'abord le piano .. Elle obtient un premier prix de piano dans la classe de Yves Nat au Conservatoire national de musique Paris. Elle se consacra ensuite définitivement à l'étude du clavecin, sous l'égide de Robert Veyron-Lacroix et d'Antoine Geoffroy-Dechaume ... Huguette Grémy-Chauliac sut profiter de cette amorce de renouveau et, à l'aide de ses recherches personnelles, fut une des premières interprètes à réintroduire ornements et notes inégales, redonnant toute son authenticité à la musique française pour clavecin des xviie et xviiie siècles, littérature dont elle est reconnue comme l'une des meilleures spécialistes actuelles. Elle sera d'ailleurs une des premières clavecinistes à donner des récitals sur une copie d'un instrument du xviiie siècle réalisée pour elle par le facteur Hubert Bédard.
When I think about beethovens life I get very sad.He had major calamities befall him.He of course not only lost his hearing do to pneumonia but suffered major abdominal pain from imbibing wine which they used to sweeten with lead.The somewhat somber and brooding quality to some of this music seems to parallel that reality of his existence.I hope he's still composing in heaven
This album was very interesting. The only thing that was a problem was the lack of dynamics that Beethoven used for contrast in his pieces. I get that they used stops to get around it, but it's a kind of hard-knee change that makes listening to it a challenge. But at least I can say I heard these on a professional harpsichord now. Didn't think there would be a market for it, but you learn something new every day.
Первая часть 14-й сонаты мне при первом прослушивании не понравилась (она, не считая фортепиано, всё же больше подходит органу и баяну, если получится исполнить в плане аппликатуры), но потом мне стало нравиться, а всё остальное сразу очень впечатлило, прекрасно.
Beethoven's keyboard compositions were often published for pianoforte and harpsichord, and it would be almost incomprehensible that he wouldn't have played harpsichord in his life. It was a very common instrument in his days. And he owned a clavichord and used it till the last years of his life.
Many years ago I studied these three sonatas. I associated the one in F minor with the four natural elements in the following order: wind, water, earth and fire. This recording is a priceless preciousness: I will try to look for an exemplar of it.
Sorry, but there is still copyright on the vinyl, and they might release it in the future. So I am not the owner of the rights to distribute the wav-file. Besides that, I am already more than busy with digitalizing vinyls and make them available at RU-vid.
Would anyone know if there is a way to obtain this recording in a quality higher than that of RU-vid's? If I understand correctly this is a vinyl rip, are there WAV or FLAC files of the aforementioned rip that could be provided?
Those big , loud almost preposterous things . It's strange that she carried them all around Europe this big so unlike authentic French and Dutch harpsichords . i know she researched all over Europe to hear the authentic sound (I would hope) Would love to see material on what she asked her luthier for in making her instruments ...
If you were literate you would have noticed that Van Beethoven mentioned the harpsichord as one of the instruments where the music was written for ...... (sorry)
Mr. Grémy-Chauliac plays wonderfully. I want to hear a Beethoven piano trio played on harpsichord, recorder / wooden flute, and cello. The sound textures of those instruments combine beautifully.
