Sophie Yates – Il cembalo transalpino (2019) [Official Digital Download 24bit/96kHz]

All the music in this programme comes from the Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge, and most of it was collected by its founder, Richard, Seventh Viscount Fitzwilliam of Merrion (1745 – 1816). A polymath, lover of music, amateur composer and harpsichordist, musically active from about 1760 until his death, Fitzwilliam created a legacy of exceptional importance to English musical culture.

The recording features the Boni harpsichord from the Fitzwilliam Collection, originally made by Giovanni Battista Boni who worked in Cortona in Tuscany. In some ways it is conventional for its time, having a slab sawn cypress soundboard and light cypress case, but its original set-up was a highly unusual one, with three sets of strings at the same (8 foot) pitch. During the last restoration, by Trevor Beckerleg in 1975, the third register, which had been out of use, was re-instated and this gives the player more resources than does the usual Italian harpsichord: both the front and back rows of jacks pluck the same set of strings but in different places, which gives them a distinctly different timbre, and the various combinations of the three registers provide the player with five distinct sounds to choose from.

Tracklist:
1. Sophie Yates – Fitzwilliam Virginal Book, Vol. 1 (Excerpts): No. 99, Praeludium (02:30)
2. Sophie Yates – Fitzwilliam Virginal Book, Vol. 1 (Excerpts): No. 70, Tirsi, di Luca Marenzio (02:50)
3. Sophie Yates – Tisdale’s Virginal Book: Passamezzo pavana (02:22)
4. Sophie Yates – Tisdale’s Virginal Book: Galliarda passamezzo (02:06)
5. Sophie Yates – 18 Sonate da organo di varii autori (Excerpts): No. 18, Aresti (01:59)
6. Sophie Yates – Fitzwilliam Virginal Book, Vol. 1 (Excerpts): No. 71, Freno (03:10)
7. Sophie Yates – 18 Sonate da organo di varii autori (Excerpts): No. 7, Colonna di Bologna (02:57)
8. Sophie Yates – Fitzwilliam Virginal Book, Vol. 1 (Excerpts): No. 82, Amarilli (04:07)
9. Sophie Yates – Toccate e partite d’intavolatura, Libro 2: No. 7, Toccata in D Minor, F 3.07 (03:09)
10. Sophie Yates – Fitzwilliam Virginal Book, Vol. 1 (Excerpts): No. 76, Passamezzo pavana (07:56)
11. Sophie Yates – Fitzwilliam Virginal Book, Vol. 1 (Excerpts): No. 77, Galliarda passamezzo (04:48)
12. Sophie Yates – Fitzwilliam Virginal Book, Vol. 1 (Excerpts): No. 78, Chi farà fede al cielo (05:26)
13. Sophie Yates – 18 Sonate da organo di varii autori (Excerpts): No. 2, Pollaroli di Venezia (02:53)
14. Sophie Yates – Fitzwilliam Virginal Book, Vol. 1 (Excerpts): No. 72, Così morirò (01:54)
15. Sophie Yates – Fitzwilliam Virginal Book, Vol. 1 (Excerpts): No. 95, Toccata (03:54)
16. Sophie Yates – Sonate d’Intavolatura per organo e cimbalo, Op. 1, Pt. 1: No. 11, Canzona in G Minor (03:10)
17. Sophie Yates – Violin Sonata in D Minor, Op. 5 No. 7 (Arr. for Harpsichord): I. Preludio. Vivace (02:18)
18. Sophie Yates – Violin Sonata in D Minor, Op. 5 No. 7 (Arr. for Harpsichord): II. Corrente. Allegro (03:26)
19. Sophie Yates – Violin Sonata in D Minor, Op. 5 No. 7 (Arr. for Harpsichord): III. Sarabanda. Largo (01:35)
20. Sophie Yates – Violin Sonata in D Minor, Op. 5 No. 7 (Arr. for Harpsichord): IV. Giga. Allegro (02:35)