At the beginning of this century, a number of instrument builders began to experiment with the harpsichord, partly based on examples from the past and partly on the insights of the time. The French piano builder Pleyel provided the harpsichord with two 8-foot registers on the lower and upper manual, a 4-foot register, a nasal and a lute register. The registers were operated with pedals. The instrument
… also had a soundboard and a metal frame, similar to the grand piano. Later, the instrument was expanded with a 16-foot register on the instructions of the legendary harpsichordist Wanda Landowska. Her tours with this instrument inspired, among others, Poulenc and De Falla for new work. Due to the interest in the historical harpsichord from the 1960s, the Pleyel type has been forgotten. Liesbeth Hoppen recorded a CD with one of the last Pleyel harpsichords built. Most of the works she plays were written especially for this type of instrument or expressly authorized for the instrument by the composer. Hoppen plays works by Martinu ("Sonate"), Theo Bruins, De Falla ("Concerto per clavicembalo"), Bartók ("Six dances in Bulgarian rhythms"), Jacqueline Fontyn and Alexander Voormolen. (HJ) _ Jacqueline Fontyn and Alexander Voormolen. (HJ) _ Jacqueline Fontyn and Alexander Voormolen. (HJ) _more
