Georg Christoph Wagenseil’s (1715–77) concerto for four harpsichords, scored without orchestra, remains the only known work of its kind based on entirely original material. There are no other known works for four harpsichords besides Bach’s concerto in A minor for four harpsichords and strings, BWV 1065, itself an adaptation of Vivaldi’s four-violin concerto in B minor, RV 580.
Wagenseil’s concerto provides an interesting footnote in the development of historical keyboard instruments. Alongside a few other Viennese keyboard works, the concerto features large bass intervals necessitating the use of the Viennese short octave—a keyboard configuration with multiply split bass keys unique to mid-18th-century Viennese keyboard building. This fact further establishes the relevance of early Viennese keyboard instruments in historical keyboard performance.
Several aspects of performance practice unique to Wagenseil’s concerto are discussed in the introduction to the edition: continuo realization for a keyboard concerto without orchestra, negotiating the requirements of the Viennese short octave on instruments with chromatic keyboards, and interpreting the notational idiosyncrasies of the manuscript source.
- ISBN: 9781987208603 (1987208609)
