The harpsichord is inextricably tied to the eccentricity and experimentation of the historical performance movement. Any hot new recording of baroque repertoire would be incomplete without a first-rate instrument. But the harpsichord can seem almost comically limited: as any pianist will be happy to tell you, you can walk over to harpsichord and hit a key as hard or as gently as you want, but it will always sound at the same volume. How can the harpsichord be an expressive instrument? What is it that draws people to its sound? How did composers like Bach envision music for an apparently “unmusical” instrument? I called Pierre Hantaï, one of the foremost interpreters of Bach at the harpsichord, to find out.
An Element of Faith
An Interview with Pierre Hantaï
