The harpsichord in twentieth-century Britain

Abstract

This dissertation provides an overview of the history of the harpsichord in twentieth century Britain. It takes as its starting point the history of the revival harpsichord in the early part of the century, how the instrument affected both performance of historic music and the composition of modern music and the factors that contributed to its decline. Information regarding British composers, performers, and individual works has been gathered together in a database. Analysis of this database allows the consideration of how the characteristics of the revival harpsichord shaped the use of the instrument
throughout the century. More detailed case studies of the harpsichord works of three composers writing at different points in the century: Lennox Berkeley, Stephen Dodgson, and Michael Nyman are then plotted against this narrative. Conclusions will be drawn from analysis of the case studies and will consider how the harpsichord has moved away from its nostalgic associations, and how has it not.

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ORCID for Laurie Stras: orcid.org/0000-0002-0129-2047

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