Interview, Bridget Cunningham on Thomas Roseingrave and Baroque music in Dublin

For some years Peter Whelan and the Irish Baroque Orchestra have been doing sterling work in bringing to life the musical scene of Ireland, and in particular Dublin, during the Baroque era - dispelling the notion that the only significant centre of gravity in the British Isles was London. Now the solo keyboard repertoire is getting something of the same treatment, with a new album from Bridget Cunningham focusing on the works of Thomas Roseingrave - born in southern England but primarily active in Dublin.

Famed as a prodigiously gifted sight-reader, a tireless populariser of the music of Domenico Scarlatti, and an accomplished composer and improviser at the organ, Roseingrave's music reflects above all the influence of Handel - though his contemporaries at times raised eyebrows at some of his bolder modulations and harmonic manoeuvres, described by one critical listener as 'extravagant and licentious'. 

The phenomenal aural skills with which he was blessed also open up the intriguing possibility that, through mixing with musicians active in Ireland's rich folk traditions, Roseingrave might have absorbed some influence from those styles too - as Bridget explains, there are characteristics in his music that might not be there if it were not for the vibrant musical environment he was immersed in.

What drew you to recording Roseingrave’s music - is he a recent discovery for you, or someone you’ve been performing for a long time?

I have been playing Roseingrave’s music for a very long time now; I started off playing from an early edition of the suites, by the late musicologist Denis Stevens, and I played and discussed Roseingrave's music with him. I was particularly drawn to Roseingrave's music because it is very original, it is fearless - and at the same time it is lyrical and it tells a story. Although I am a professional baroque musician (both as a harpsichordist and a conductor), I've always wanted to explore early Irish music and itinerant musicians travelling and working in Dublin in the 18th century. I suppose due to my Irish heritage and the sensitivity for Irish music; I also studied with some traditional Irish musicians as well, like Brendan Mulkere.

With a few exceptions (such as a Gloria traditionally used with a set of Purcell evening canticles), Roseingrave is almost totally forgotten today. Why do you think this is? Was he just posthumously eclipsed by Handel, or did his irrational behaviour in his later life affect his reputation even in his own time?

I think so, and there's maybe more to it than that. There are a lot of exceptionally great Baroque musicians who've been overlooked - many eclipsed by Handel. Roseingrave is certainly one of them and really needs to shine. His writing is exceptional - the keyboard music, the arias, the anthems, the cantatas - he was busy performing, but he was also an advocate for Domenico Scarlatti's music. As editor, he edited and arranged Scarlatti’s compositions, which took him away from his own compositions. He gave his time to editing instead, which may be another reason why he was overlooked as a composer in his own right.

Certainly Roseingrave suffered from mental distress and torment; we have reports of him crying and running out of the church. But nevertheless he continued to compose, and was supported by many other musicians, including famous ones of the day - Thomas Arne, for example - who subscribed to his music and bought copies of it. A number of musicians organised a benefit concert for Roseingrave in London near his home in Hampstead. He was himself also a founder member of the Royal Society of Musicians (which was then known as the 'Fund for Decay'd Musicians'!). Musicians supported each other, and despite severe mental torment, Roseingrave persevered.

Roseingrave spent much of his career in Dublin, playing at both its cathedrals. How distinctive was Irish musical life in his day - would there have been unique elements distinguishing it from tastes set in London (and if so is any of that perceptible in his compositions)?

His father Daniel had been organist at those two cathedrals and Thomas would certainly also have played these instruments. There was a fair amount of musical crossover with Irish folk styles - elements of it, at least. Musicians were travelling around, sharing music and scores, and the great folk tradition of Irish song and Irish harp music does bring to light the extreme lyricism, and the whimsical quality, of some of Roseingrave's harpsichord suites. I don't know if that would have been there otherwise.

Roseingrave’s music is very Handelian in style – notably more than any significant influence by Scarlatti - but also (which again maybe ties in to the Irish folk connection), he was an exceptional improviser, playing by ear the same way folk musicians did, which is obviously something that crosses boundaries. There's a quote that describes him as; 'having a power of seizing the parts and spirits of a score and executing the most difficult music at sight, beyond any musician in Europe'.

So yes, I believe these elements suggest influences on Roseingrave as a musician.

One incident mentioned in the accompanying notes sees Roseingrave comprehensively upstaged at the keyboard by the young Scarlatti - was this (and his subsequent adulation for Scarlatti) a turning-point in his style?

In one sense, yes - Roseingrave was so impressed by Scarlatti that reportedly he didn't touch the harpsichord for a month afterwards. But he did become a devout follower of Scarlatti and a disciple - following him around Italy, and then later promoting and editing his music extensively in London, so much so that he created something of a cult following for Scarlatti’s music.

Roseingrave’s harpsichord suites themselves show very little influence of Scarlatti's writing - he also admired Palestrina, which perhaps shows through in some of the organ music - rather, the harpsichord writing is much more influenced by Handel.

Speaking of anecdotes, the story of Roseingrave winning, rather than simply being appointed to, the post of organist at St George’s Hanover Square is rather unusual - how common was it for positions like this to be awarded as prizes in competitions?

At the time, most organist posts in the British Isles were competitive, in the sense that when an incumbent retired or died, the post was publicly advertised and applicants underwent individual auditions, and the members of the 'vestry board' or whoever was in charge would decide between them with a formal vote.

This sort of competition, held in public at St George's Church, was very rare.

It feels a bit 'X Factor' - would Roseingrave have been simply trying to do whatever he could to impress people and wow them - a question of showmanship?

Yes, exactly. He won across the board - although there were of course other very good candidates with a distinguished set of judges including Greene, Pepusch and Handel, who was not there in person but had sent in a theme upon which the candidates were to improvise upon. 

A lot of keyboard repertoire of this period seems to be (to an extent) instrument-agnostic - but the notes to the album emphasise the clear distinction between Roseingrave’s achievements as an organist and as a harpsichordist. How different is his writing here compared to in his organ works? Could any of these pieces (perhaps the Celebrated Concerto) have been performed on the organ as an alternative?

It's interesting - often on the title of pages of 18th-century publications it would say 'for the harpsichord or organ', just as a selling-point to potentially sell twice as many copies. Certainly Roseingrave's harpsichord suites (published as being 'for the harpsichord or spinet') are particularly well-written for the characteristics of the harpsichord with the lightness, clarity and colours of the instrument whereas the voluntaries and fugues in the other publications work better on the organ. The sustained organ sound would really enhance the harmonies, chromaticism and dissonances especially the A flats in F minor - if you're in mean-tone temperament it's really crunchy! That would be lost to an extent on the harpsichord.

For the Celebrated Concerto, the different types of registration that you get on both harpsichords and organs mean that it would - or could - work on either.

Yes, it's got sections in it that sound to me like they imply changes of manual?

Yes, and it specifies forte and piano for echo effects at some points. Again, on the harpsichord, if it's a two-manual instrument you can move to the upper manual for a quieter, echo effect. It's very hard on a single-manual harpsichord to change any registration at all while you're playing. 

I'd always thought of single harpsichords being the norm, somehow - it sounds like in Roseingrave's time double-manual instruments would have been quite common, and have quite a lot of stops?

Not nearly as many stops as the organ, but yes - double-manual harpsichords were very popular in England and Ireland, though less so in Italy. They would have two eight-foot stops and a four-foot stop - and some might also have a buff or a lute stop, which create a lighter and more gentle or nasal sound. Certainly Roseingrave would have known all these different types of harpsichords, and he knew Ferdinand Weber, who was a harpsichord maker in Dublin and had previously worked in London.

How do the two eight-foot stops differ from each other?

They sound different depending on the way that the plectrum is voiced, carved and sculpted. Quite often I might make them a little longer or wider on the lower manual, which makes it slightly louder, and on the top manual I might quieten it a bit by making them a bit thinner. They'll always sound different - I'm generalising but often the upper manual is a bit quieter and that can act as your echo sound. There is another effect on the harpsichord when you push the lower manual inwards, it couples the keyboards - so that the lower manual is playing with both sets of eight-foot strings, while the top is only playing with one.This is another way you can create an echo effect, because the lower manual is now sounding at double the volume. Plus, the four-foot registration, which sounds an octave above pitch, is generally also linked to the lower manual, so you could have 8/8/4 sounding on the bottom manual and only a single eight-foot sound on the top. There are such a variety of colours on the harpsichord but it is very hard to change registration mid-flow with your hands unless it is an early Irish harpsichord, like a Weber instrument or a type of harpsichord with foot pedals to change registration.

Roseingrave was very aware of this variety of registrations and he uses them very well - just as Handel does in his suites, and particular the pieces that Handel arranges from orchestral works.

Is there more in the pipeline, the way some of your earlier Handel recordings were spread across several volumes?

Yes - Handel in Ireland, Handel in Italy and in Vauxhall! I am really delighted that this Roseingrave album has been released and I would love to look at more of Roseingrave and Handel’s writing. The second volume of the Handel suites is coming first, and then there's a lot more orchestral discs to be recorded with London Early Opera. I am also just finishing off the final year of my doctorate at the moment! So when that's done, that will allow even more time for glorious recording ventures.