Hartt School to Introduce New Harpsichord with Early Music Concert, 9/20

On September 20, The Hartt School at the University of Hartford will unveil the newest instrument in its collection: a harpsichord custom built by Norfolk, Connecticut resident Carl Dudash. To mark the acquisition, the internationally-recognized faculty of The Hartt School will present a free concert of music written in the heyday of the harpsichord.

A Musical Offering: An Inaugural Concert of the Dudash Harpsichord will take place on Sunday, September 20 at 5 p.m. A pre-concert lecture by Professor Kenneth Nott on the importance to the harpsichord to preserving and studying music of the baroque period begins at 4:30 p.m.

Beloved for its unique sound and articulation, the harpsichord is a traditional early music instrument home to monumental works by Johann Sebastian Bach and Georg Frederic Handel, and is still used in contemporary compositions.

"A large body of music - primarily composed before 1760 - requires the harpsichord in either a solo or chamber capacity," said Dr. Nott, professor of music history at The Hartt School. "This acoustic harpsichord will provide an essential source of rhythm and harmonic support to our music students, who will benefit immensely from its use."

The September 20 concert will include well-known harpsichord pieces, including Bach's Brandenburg Concerto No. 5, and Handel's Suite in E-Major, as well as emblematic works for other instruments of the period and earlier including the viola da gamba, sackbut, archlute, theorbo, and recorders. The performers from the Hartt faculty and staff include: Edward Clark, Karen Cook, Maggie Francis, Walter Gibson, Dee Hansen, Neal Humphreys, Emlyn Ngai, Richard Provost, Matthew Russo, and Greig Shearer.

The Hartt School's previous instrument required a number of costly repairs, and was difficult to move in an academic environment requiring frequent use. In 2012, Hartt purchased an electronic harpsichord until a new instrument could be attained. Funding became available in early 2014 and Dudash was contacted to commission a custom harpsichord suited to the school's needs, which took about 8 months to complete.

Dudash creates harpsichords according to 18th century German design, which "makes the instruments particularly well-suited for Bach," he says. The Hartt harpsichord is constructed with resilient American Cherry, a soundboard of Western Red Cedar, and a reverse keyboard as was common for the era.

A Musical Offering: An Inaugural Concert of the Dudash Harpsichord

Sunday, September 20, 2015

5:00 p.m. (pre -concert lecture at 4:30 p.m.)

Millard Auditorium, Fuller Music Center

University of Hartford Campus

Free and open to the public

More information: hartford.edu/hartt

To post a comment, you must register and login.