How should I play harpsichord pieces on the piano?

It's to your advantage to reconceive the music to account for the fact that it is being performed on an entirely different instrument—there is no point in trying to turn the piano into a harpsichord. To play clavecin music on the modern piano is, in essence, an act of transcription. read more

There are key aspects of Baroque performance practice that can and perhaps should be ported from the harpsichord to the piano: Couperin should not sound like Debussy, after all. But the piano offers sonic possibilities that the harpsichord does not, and you should feel free to tastefully take advantage of them. read more

Bach is the one composer that can be played on just about anything. If you have the chops to play Bach on the theremin, go for it! If you can play Bach on the harpsichord, go for it! If you can play Bach on the piano, go for it—but be aware that there is a good deal of it that won’t work—i.e. fugues, etc. read more

So much so that I feel every pianist should play on the harpsichord a few times, especially when preparing baroque repertoire. a typical harpsichord Perhaps the most superficial difference is the respective sound of each instrument. read more