John Erskine writes:
I became interested in harpsichords (and other early instruments) almost as soon as I discovered Bach - at about thirteen. I remember finding an advert by the Robert Morley company in the Sunday Times and having the cheek to send off for a brochure; Morley’s got their profit on the postage when, nearly ten years later, I bought a clavichord. A few years afterwards, I added a harpsichord - one of the old and rather ludicrous sort (as it seems now), made before authenticity was invented: huge and heavy, with a whole row of pedals, a frame like a piano’s, and even a sixteen-foot stop. My harpsichord and clavichord playing was entirely self-administered, and no doubt correspondingly poor. I didn’t really discover how to try setting about things seriously till I was living in Cardiff and took lessons - first piano, then organ - with Michael Smith, who was then organist of Llandaff Cathedral. For professional reasons, the organ remained my first instrument until a few years ago, when I found myself for the first time no longer in a place where there was always an organ available just down the corridor or across the quad… so harpsichord and clavichord took over joint first place again - and I found myself fearfully out of practice.
I am now fortunate in having lessons with Sharon Gould, who teaches harpsichord at Chethams and the Royal Northern. (Her other claim to fame is as the mother of Cordelia Williams, whom many people must remember seeing on television not long ago, winning the piano section of Young Musician with two stunningly accomplished and beautiful performances. She gave a lunch-time recital at the Wigmore Hall just a few days ago: it was superb.)
Rather oddly, perhaps, I don’t at the moment own a harpsichord (having last year given up the struggle to keep my old monster going) - though I have access to a couple of nice ones. However, I do have a virginals (as well as a clavichord), and find more and more that that particular member of the harpsichord family really suits me: increasingly, my interests seem to develop mainly in the earlier end of early music. I love Sweelinck, the Venetians, and the English virginalists - among whom I have a special affection for Tomkins; I am mad about Froberger; and increasingly drawn to Renaissance Spain as well… though (in my humble opinion) most of that nation’s music is better suited to the organ or clavichord than the harpsichord or virginals.
I know many other people now find themselves in the same position as regards their instruments: most of the harpsichords (and clavichords) that we acquired back in the early days of early music are no longer satisfying or even satisfactory; they do not usually command high enough prices second-hand to make much of a contribution to the cost of a replacement; and having them reconditioned is not always feasible – either for practical or financial reasons. In the seventies, just to own a harpsichord was enough; now it is not enough unless it is the ‘right’ harpsichord from the right period of the right country… and possibly not enough unless it is fitted with quills from the ‘right’ bird. Unless money is no object, we all have to find our own compromise. I had my old seventies clavichord re-strung in brass, which improved it a lot – but I have to admit now that I might have done better to start again with a new instrument. I decided not to try renovating my old harpsichord, which would have been impractical, and instead I am concentrating for the time being on the smaller instruments. Such is my fondness for the virginals that I placed an order with Alan Gotto some while ago for one of his ‘Italian’ models, based on the instrument known as ‘Queen Elizabeth’s virginals’ in the Victoria & Albert Museum. It is due to arrive around the turn of the year: I am quietly rather excited about it. I am also hoping to rectify my current organ-less state some time next year… As renaissance keyboard music is my main playing interest, I particularly like to move between instruments.
My two main jobs for the Society are dealing with membership applications (earlier today I enrolled our 616th, 617th, and 618th members – one of them setting a new record for the youngest member) and compiling the members’ Diary – a new venture, which I do hope will mature into a useful resource. So far I have deliberately not imposed any particular policies: I want it to grow naturally in response to the use members make of it. It is obviously just a service to members, so I am happy to advertise anything that is related (even indirectly) to harpsichord matters if the event is organised by or to be performed by a member of the Society; similarly, of course, I’ll include material from non-members if the content is something directly harpsichord-related that our members might find it useful to know about. I’m trying to avoid formal dead-lines, so that we can be as flexible and responsive as possible; but, naturally, the more notice I get, the easier it is to do the job. The key point, of course, is that the Diary is only as good (and as full and as accurate) as the information that comes to me. So I am really grateful if organisers concise and precise information a month or so (if possible) in advance: date, place, time, brief details only of performers and programme, price, method of booking, and (wherever possible) a source for further information. It really does seem better to keep it brief and refer to a web-site or whatever where more detail can be found: if we clog the entries too much, there is a danger that the Diary will be less useful rather than more. I am also asking that (again, as far as possible) we include a link to a site where a flyer can be read, or from where it can be downloaded, rather than attaching flyers and so risking occasionally irritating someone by filling a mailbox with an over-large file. That said, my main point is that I want the Diary to be a service not a nuisance: I’d rather have partial information at the last minute than miss it altogether – I will always help if I can.
Beyond that, I have one potential personal crusade in mind: I should love to start a campaign aimed at helping to rectify the neglect this country shows towards one of its finest composers, Thomas Tomkins. (Anyone who does not agree that his ‘Sad Paven for these distracted times’ is one of the most profound pieces in the keyboard repertoire… name your seconds and I’ll meet you on the coast of Belgium at dawn.) Every time I go to Worcester, I fail to understand why there is no memorial to him in his own cathedral; and why there is a statue of Elgar in the main street, but no statue of Tomkins facing it. (Not that I have anything against Elgar, but who can say that his place in English music is more important than that of the man who wrote ‘When David heard’?) I’d love to hear from anyone who’d like to join a campaign.
I am – I freely confess – only an amateur musicologist and – I fear – only an amateurish player. My academic field is literature; but as medieval and renaissance has always been my period, renaissance music is an obvious side-step, even if a dauntingly large one. I took early semi-retirement from teaching in institutions a couple of years ago, but I still spend huge amounts of time teaching on a consultancy basis, which is good in every way except one - that I still don’t get enough time to practise…