>On 5/04/01, at 14:16, Etienne Alatienne [log in to unmask] said:
>
> >On the same subject, the weirdest tuning I have heard
> >so far is in Blandine Verlet's latest Froberger on
> >Naive (called "l'intranquilite" or something similar).
> >Has anybody heard it ? She also plays the Colmar
> >Rueckers, and I would really like having the experts
> >on this list to tell me what it is.

By a most amazing coincidence, I was in my local record store this
afternoon and couldnt resist buying this CD ("Froberger et
l'intranquillité").  I was partially seduced (is this a contradiction in
terms?) by the fact that it comes attractively packaged in a digipak,
rather than one of those horrible plastic so-called jewel cases; though the
60 mile drive to get to the store also had something to do with it, not to
mention the attention-getting temperament on Verlet's Bach Fantasy/Toccata
CD which, some may recall, was mentioned in passing here not too long ago.

The Bach was recorded c.1995, so presumably there has been time to retune
since then.  The program notes by Verlet promise well, and my first
sampling in the car on the way home was very enjoyable.  I will listen
properly and report.

There is a page in the booklet by "the infamous" (what has he done to
deserver this epithet from Kirk?) Christopher Clark, facteur de clavecin;
but it is mainly about the Colmar Ruckers.

Incidentally, a photo of this wonderful instrument sans eyes, sans teeth --
meaning without any strings, rose, pins, keyboards, registers, jacks --
sans all, is on p.249 of Grant O'Brien's book (copyright ... Chris Clarke
lui-meme).  Obviously it has been put back together since and tuned.  One
wonders if a clause in the will of a former owner, Compte Xavier de Sade,
specifies that all recordings on this instrument must be made in meantone,
whether appropriate or not.

>Is Verlet the only harpsichordist to really push the envelope with "wierd"
>tunings?

If you mean Bach in meantone, I think the answer is "yes".  If you mean
Louis Couperin in equal temperament, I am sure the answer is "no".  There's
also Wendy Carlos, who has done even more wierd things, not to mention
yours truly, who has been known to push the envelope in this way
inadvertently; but I always follow Ed Kottick's advice to do my best
without spending an unreasonable amount of time and promise to do better
next time.

david

PS: The owners of Audivis and Op.111 records have a truly amazing website
at www.naive.fr (needs Active X to run), but it fails to mention Verlet, as
far as I can see.