The 4th Revised Edition of August 2022

This is yet another full revision, with some formatting improvement and a few additions. These are the main improvements:

• The Appendix on authentic/historical performance has been rewritten and moved to the Introduction as a full discussion on the Rediscovery of Historical Interpretation.
• The treatment of the Baroque German harpsichord has been updated with details from recent discussions.
• The section on Ornamented Repeats has been significantly enhanced.
• Recent sources have been examined and cited when appropriate.
• 32 new entries have been added to the Literature Cited list.
  
  

The 3rd Revised Edition of August 2018

In the four years after the 2014 edition, the Playing the Baroque Harpsichord eBook underwent a new full revision. In the process we fixed typos and added new sections and paragraphs. These are the main improvements in this edition:

• The Introduction has now a sub-section on the modern rediscovery of the harpsichord repertoire.
• The history of Keyboard Ranges has been updated with new details from recent discussions.
• The section about Tempi in French Baroque dances has now a sub-section on Doubles and Trios.
• The treatment of the use of the buff stop has been updated.
• The treatment of the performance of repeats in Rondeaux has been updated.
• A new Appendix on how to perform “out of range fixes” has been added.
• A new Appendix discussing authentic/historical performance has been added.

I wish to express again my gratitude to the scholar David Pickett for his always valuable suggestions.

The 2nd Revised Edition of June 2014

In the four years after the 2010 edition, the Playing the Baroque Harpsichord eBook underwent a full revision for completeness and consistency. In the process we identified a few topics that deserved clarification, enlargement and even small-scale research projects. These are the main improvements in this edition:

• Many figures and charts have been improved and 33 new ones added.
• More musical examples are quoted throughout the book.
• A thorough history of the harpsichord and virginal is now included.
• New paragraphs describe common modern-day pitfalls in the interpretation of ornaments.
• There is a new section on appoggiaturas and coulés.
• New sections deal with ornamented repeats and Rondeau repeats.
• A full treatment of French Baroque Dances has been added.
• There are more details on the performance of the music of J.S. Bach.
• There is more on the use of harpsichord stops.
• The treatment of stops now includes rarities such as the 16' and the double-pluck.
• There is a new section on the registration of Handel's Suites.
• Six new Appendices deal with different harpsichord-related topics.

I wish to express my sincere appreciation to the distinguished scholars Edward L. Kottick and David Pickett, who read the “beta” version and provided valuable suggestions.