>>I tried out several Froberger and Frescobaldi toccatas that use some 
 >>of each enharmonic pair.  I tried the Froberger ricercar in C# minor 
 >>(1658, last piece in Schott's volume 1), which *didn't* work: the B# 
 >>and E# don't have split keys, and are consequently way out of tune 
for >>their contexts.  Also, it was awkward to play one of the left-hand 
 >>parts in there where the pinky takes G# on the front half of its key, 
 >>and 1 or 2 take the D# up on the top half of *its* key....  Turn that 
 >>wrist around in a weird way!
 >
 >You should have tried transposing it up a half step (easy to do at 
 >sight; if I can do it, I'm sure you
 >can).  Played in D minor (as it was conceived?), regular meantone 
 >accommodates all the notes except
 >a-flat (original G natural) below middle c.  I suspect it's 
 >considerably less awkard to play in the
 >transposed position on that keyboard, besides sounding much better.


Perhaps so.

Then, what besides quadruple pique would possess Froberger to notate the 
thing in four sharps?  Why would he bother?


Brad Lehman