A harpsichord is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It produces sound by plucking a string when a key is pressed.

In the narrow sense, "harpsichord" designates only the large wing-shaped instruments in which the strings are perpendicular to the keyboard. In a broader sense, "harpsichord" designates the whole family of similar plucked keyboard instruments, including the smaller virginals, muselar, and spinet.

The harpsichord was widely used in Renaissance and Baroque music. During the late 18th century it gradually disappeared from the musical scene with the rise of the piano. But in the 20th century it made a resurgence, used in historically informed performance of older music, in new (contemporary) compositions, and in popular culture.

Mechanism

Harpsichords vary in size and shape but all have the same basic functional arrangement. The player depresses a key pivoted in the middle of its length, which causes the far end of the key to rise. This lifts a jack, a long strip of wood, to which is attached a small plectrum (a wedge-shaped piece of quill or, nowadays plastic), which plucks the string. When the key is released by the player, the far end returns to its rest position and the jack falls back. The plectrum, mounted on a tongue that can swivel backwards away from the string, passes the string without plucking it again. As the key reaches its rest position, the string's vibrations are halted by the damper, a piece of felt attached to the top of the jack.

These basic principles are explained in more detail below.

The ''keylever'' is a simple pivot, which rocks on a ''balance pin'' passing through a hole drilled through it.

The ''jack'' is a thin, rectangular piece of wood which sits upright on the end of the keylever, held in place by the registers (the upper movable, the lower fixed) which are two long strips of wood running in the gap from spine to cheek with rectangular mortises through which the jacks can move up and down.

In the jack, a ''plectrum'' juts out almost horizontally (normally the plectrum is angled upwards a tiny amount) and passes just under the string. Historically, plectra were normally made of crow quill or leather; most modern harpsichords based on historic instruments have plastic (delrin or celcon) plectra.

When the front of the key is pressed, the back of the key rises, the jack is lifted, and the plectrum plucks the string.

When the key is released, the jack falls back down under its own weight, and the plectrum pivots backwards to allow it to pass the string. This is made possible by having the plectrum held in a tongue which is attached with a pivot and a spring to the body of the jack.

At the top of the jack, the felt damper keeps the string from vibrating when the key is not depressed.

The vertical rise of the jacks is stopped by the jackrail, which is covered with soft felt to muffle the impact of the jack.

Strings, tuning, and soundboard

Each string is wound around a ''tuning pin'', normally at the end of the string which is closer to the player. When rotated with a wrench or tuning hammer, the tuning pin adjusts the tension so that the string will sound the correct pitch. Tuning pins are held tightly in holes drilled in the ''pinblock'' or ''wrestplank'', an oblong hardwood plank.

Proceeding from the tuning pin, a string next passes over the ''nut'', a sharp edge that is made of hardwood and is normally attached to the wrestplank. The section of the string beyond the nut forms its ''vibrating length'', which is plucked and creates sound.

At the other end of its vibrating length, the string passes over the bridge, another sharp edge made of hardwood. As with the nut, the horizontal position of the string along the bridge is determined by a vertical metal pin inserted into the bridge, against which the string rests.

The bridge itself rests on a ''soundboard'', a thin panel of wood usually made of spruce, fir or—in some Italian harpsichords—cypress. The soundboard efficiently transduces the vibrations of the strings into vibrations in the air; without a soundboard, the strings would produce only a very feeble sound.

A string is attached at its far end by a loop to a ''hitchpin'' which secures it to the case.

Multiple choirs of strings

Many harpsichords have exactly one string per note. There are several reasons why it is sometimes an advantage to have more. When there are two choirs of strings at the same length, it is possible to arrange for them to give different tonal qualities, and thus to increase the variety of sound produced by the instrument. This is done by having one set of strings plucked closer to the nut, which emphasizes the higher harmonics, and produces a "nasal" sound quality. When two strings tuned to be the same pitch, or to an octave apart, are plucked simultaneously by a single keystroke, the note is louder and richer than one produced by a single string. The qualitative distinction is particularly noticeable when the strings are tuned an octave apart.

When describing a harpsichord it is customary to specify its choirs of strings, often called its disposition. Strings at eight foot pitch sound at the normal expected pitch, strings at four foot pitch sound an octave higher, and sometimes harpsichords have the rare 16-foot pitch (one octave lower than eight-foot) or two-foot pitch (two octaves higher).

When there are multiple choirs of strings, the player is often able to control which choirs sound. This is usually done by having a set of jacks for each choir, and a mechanism for "turning off" each set, often by moving the upper register (through which the jacks slide) sideways a short distance, so that their plectra miss the strings. In simpler instruments this is done by manually moving the registers, but as the harpsichord evolved, builders invented levers, knee levers and pedal mechanisms to make it easier to change registration.

More flexibility in selecting which strings play is available in harpsichords having more than one keyboard or manual, since each manual can control the plucking of a different set of strings. In addition, such harpsichords often have a mechanism to couple manuals together, so that two can be used while actually playing on only one. The most flexible system is the French shove coupler, in which the lower manual can slide forward and backward, so that in the backward position "dogs" attached to the upper surface of the lower manual engage the lower surface of the upper manual's keys. Depending on choice of keyboard and coupler position, the player can select any of the sets of jacks labeled in figure 4 as A, or B and C, or all three.

The English dogleg jack system (also practised in Baroque Flanders) does not require a coupler. The jacks labeled A in Figure 5 have a "dogleg" shape that permits A to be played by either keyboard. If the player wishes to play the upper 8' from the upper manual only and not from the lower manual, a stop handle disengages the jacks labeled A and engages instead an alternative row of jacks called "lute stop" (not shown in the Figure). Find full details in Hubbard 1967, p.133 ff., Russell 1973, p.65 ff. and Kottick 2003.

The use of multiple manuals in a harpsichord was not originally provided for the flexibility in choosing which strings would sound, but rather for transposition; for discussion see ''History of the harpsichord''.

The case

The case holds in position all of the important structural members: pinblock, soundboard, hitchpins, keyboard, and the jack action. It usually includes a solid bottom, and also internal bracing to maintain its form without warping under the tension of the strings. Cases vary greatly in weight and sturdiness: Italian harpsichords are often of light construction; heavier construction is found in the later Flemish instruments and those derived from them (see ''History of the harpsichord'').

The case also gives the harpsichord its external appearance and protects the instrument. A large harpsichord is, in a sense, a piece of furniture, as it stands alone on legs and may be styled in the manner of other furniture of its place and period. Early Italian instruments, on the other hand, were so light in construction that they were treated rather like a violin: kept for storage in a protective outer case, and played after taking it out of its case and placing it on a table. Such tables were often quite high - until the late 18th century people usually played standing up. Eventually, harpsichords came to be built with just a single case, though an intermediate stage also existed: the "false inner–outer", which for purely aesthetic reasons was built to look as if the outer case contained an inner one, in the old style. Even after harpsichords became self-encased objects, they often were supported by separate stands, and some modern harpsichords have separate legs for improved portability.

Many harpsichords have a lid that can be raised, a cover for the keyboard, and a stand for music.

Harpsichords have been decorated in a great many different ways: with plain buff paint (e.g. some Flemish instruments), with paper printed with patterns, with leather or velvet coverings, with chinoiserie, or occasionally with highly elaborate painted artwork.

==Variants==

The terms used to denote the various members of the harpsichord family are now standardized. This was not so in the harpsichord's heyday.

Harpsichord

In modern usage, "harpsichord" can mean any member of the family of instruments. More often, though, it specifically denotes a grand-piano-shaped instrument with a roughly triangular case accommodating long bass strings at the left and short treble strings at the right. The characteristic profile of such a harpsichord is more elongated than a modern piano, with a sharper curve to the bentside.

Virginals

The virginal is a smaller and simpler rectangular form of the harpsichord having only one string per note; the strings run parallel to the keyboard, which is on the long side of the case.

Spinet

A spinet is a harpsichord with the strings set at an angle (usually about 30 degrees) to the keyboard. The strings are too close together for the jacks to fit between them. Instead, the strings are arranged in pairs, and the jacks are in the larger gaps between the pairs. The two jacks in each gap face in opposite directions, and each plucks a string adjacent to a gap.

Clavicytherium

A clavicytherium is a harpsichord with the soundboard and strings mounted vertically facing the player, the same space-saving principle as an upright piano. In a clavicytherium, the jacks move horizontally without the assistance of gravity, so that clavicytherium actions are more complex than those of other harpsichords.

Some of the earliest harpsichords for which we have evidence are clavicytheria. One surviving example from the late 15th century is kept at the Royal College of Music in London. For most of the history of the harpsichord, however, the clavicytherium was far less common than the horizontal instrument, probably because of its greater complexity and lesser reliability. In the 18th century fine clavicytheria were made by Albertus Delin, a Flemish builder.

Ottavino

Ottavini are small spinets or virginals at four foot pitch. It is thought that harpsichords at octave pitch were more common in the late Mediæval times and the early Renaissance, but lessened in popularity later on. However, ottavini remained very popular as domestic instruments in Italy. In England, Samuel Pepys makes many mentions of his "tryangle" in his diary, which references the usual shape of these instruments. In the Low Countries, ottavini were commonly paired with an 8' virginals, encased in a small cubb under the soundboard. The ottavino could be removed and placed on top of the larger virginal, making an effect like unto a double manual instrument. These are sometimes called 'mother-and-child' or 'double' virginals.

Other

The archicembalo, built in the 16th century, had an unusual keyboard layout, designed to accommodate variant tuning systems demanded by compositional practice and theoretical experimentation. More common were instruments with split sharps, also designed to accommodate the tuning systems of the time.

The folding harpsichord was an instrument that could be folded up for travel.

Occasionally, in late 18th c., harpsichords were built with a pedal keyboard. While these were mostly intended as practice instruments for organists, a few pieces are believed to have been written specifically for the pedal harpsichord.

Compass and pitch range

On the whole, earlier harpsichords have smaller ranges and later ones larger, though there are many exceptions. The largest harpsichords have a range of just over five octaves and the smallest have under four. Usually, the shortest keyboards were given extended range in the bass with a "short octave".

Tuning pitch is often taken to be a=415 Hz, roughly a semitone lower than the modern standard concert pitch of a=440 Hz. An accepted exception is for French baroque repertoire which is often performed with a=392 Hz, approximately a semitone lower again. Tuning an instrument nowadays usually starts with setting an A; historically it would commence from a C or an F.

Some modern instruments are built with keyboards which can be shifted sideways, allowing the player to align the mechanism with strings at either a=415 Hz or a=440 Hz. If a tuning other than equal temperament is used, the instrument requires retuning once the keyboard is shifted.

History

The harpsichord was most probably invented in the late Middle Ages. By the 16th century, harpsichord makers in Italy were making lightweight instruments with low string tension. A different approach was taken in Flanders starting in the late 16th century, notably by the Ruckers family. Their harpsichords used a heavier construction and produced a more powerful and distinctive tone. They included the first harpsichords with two keyboards, used for transposition.

The Flemish instruments served as the model for 18th century harpsichord construction in other nations. In France, the double keyboards were adapted to control different choirs of strings, making a more musically flexible instrument. Instruments from the peak of the French tradition, by makers such as the Blanchet family and Pascal Taskin, are among the most widely admired of all harpsichords, and are frequently used as models for the construction of modern instruments. In England, the Kirkman and Shudi firms produced sophisticated harpsichords of great power and sonority. German builders extended the sound repertoire of the instrument by adding sixteen foot and two foot choirs; these instruments have recently served as models for modern builders.

In the late 18th century the harpsichord was supplanted by the piano and almost disappeared from view for most of the 19th century: an exception was its continued use in opera for accompanying recitative, but the piano sometimes displaced it even there. 20th century efforts to revive the harpsichord began with instruments that used piano technology, with heavy strings and metal frames. Starting in the middle of the 20th century, ideas about harpsichord making underwent a major change, when builders such as Frank Hubbard, William Dowd, and Martin Skowroneck sought to re-establish the building traditions of the Baroque period. Harpsichords of this type of historically informed building practice dominate the current scene.

Music for the harpsichord

Historical period

The great bulk of the standard repertoire for the harpsichord was written during its first historical flowering, the Renaissance and Baroque eras.

The first music written specifically for solo harpsichord was published around the early 16th century. Composers who wrote solo harpsichord music were numerous during the whole Baroque era in European countries including Italy, Germany, England and France. Solo harpsichord compositions included dance suites, fantasias, and fugues. Among the most famous composers who wrote for the harpsichord were the members of English virginal school of the late Renaissance, notably William Byrd (ca. 1540 – 1623). In France, a great number of highly characteristic solo works were created and compiled into four books of ''ordres'' by François Couperin (1668-1733). Domenico Scarlatti (1685–1757) began his career in Italy but wrote most of his solo harpsichord works in Spain; his most famous work is his series of 555 harpsichord sonatas. Perhaps the most celebrated composer who wrote for the harpsichord was J. S. Bach (1685-1750), whose solo works (for instance, the Well-Tempered Clavier and the Goldberg Variations), continue to be performed very widely, often on the piano. Bach was also a pioneer of the harpsichord concerto, both in works designated as such, and in the harpsichord part of his Fifth Brandenburg Concerto.

Two of the most prominent composers of the Classical period (music), Joseph Haydn (1732-1809) and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791), wrote harpsichord music. For both, the instrument featured in the earlier period of their careers and was abandoned once they had shifted their efforts to the piano.

Besides solo works, the historical harpsichord was widely used for accompaniment in the basso continuo style (a function it maintained in operatic recitative even into the 19th century).

Music written for the revived harpsichord

Through the 19th century, the harpsichord was almost completely supplanted by the piano. In the 20th century, composers returned to the instrument, as they sought out variation in the sounds available to them. Under the influence of Arnold Dolmetsch, the harpsichordists Violet Gordon-Woodhouse (1872–1951) and in France, Wanda Landowska (1879–1959), were at the forefront of the instrument's renaissance.

Concertos for the instrument were written by Francis Poulenc (the ''Concert champêtre'', 1927–28), Manuel de Falla, Bertold Hummel, Henryk Mikołaj Górecki, Michael Nyman, Philip Glass, and Roberto Carnevale. Bohuslav Martinů wrote both a concerto and a sonata for the instrument, and Elliott Carter's ''Double Concerto'' is scored for harpsichord, piano and two chamber orchestras.

In chamber music, György Ligeti wrote a small number of solo works for the instrument (including ''Continuum''), and Henri Dutilleux's ''Les Citations'' (1991) is scored for harpsichord, oboe, double bass and percussions. Elliott Carter's ''Sonata for Flute, Oboe, Cello and Harpsichord'' (1952) explores the timbre possibilities of the modern harpsichord. Josef Tal wrote ''Concerto for harpsichord & electronic music'' (1964) and ''Chamber Music'' (1982) for s-recorder, marimba & harpsichord. Both Dmitri Shostakovich (''Hamlet'', 1964) and Alfred Schnittke (''Symphony No.8'', 1998) wrote works that use the harpsichord as part of the orchestral texture.

In the Preface to his piano collection ''Mikrokosmos'', Bela Bartok suggests some ten pieces as being suitable for the harpsichord.

Harpsichordist Hendrik Bouman has composed pieces in the 17th and 18th century style, including works for solo harpsichord, harpsichord concerti, and other works that call for harpsichord continuo. Other contemporary composers writing new harpsichord music in period styles include Grant Colburn, Miguel Robaina, Fernando De Luca and Gianluca Bersanetti. Notable performers include Oscar Milani and Mario Raskin.

During the second half of the 20th century, the sound of the harpsichord (or perhaps rather more often, its electronically created equivalent) became very familiar in popular culture, appearing frequently in popular music, television, films, computer games, and so on.

See also

Clavichord

Notes

References

Boalch, Donald H. (1995) ''Makers of the Harpsichord and Clavichord, 1440-1840'', 3rd ed., with updates by Andreas H. Roth and Charles Mould, Oxford University Press, ISBN 0-19-318429-X. A catalogue, originating with work by Boalch in the 1950s, of all extant historical instruments.

Dearling, Robert (ed.) (1996) ''The ultimate encyclopedia of musical instruments'', London : Carlton, ISBN 1-85868-185-5

Hubbard, Frank (1967) ''Three Centuries of Harpsichord Making'', 2nd ed., Harvard University Press, ISBN 0-674-88845-6. An authoritative survey by a leading builder of how early harpsichords were built and how the harpsichord evolved over time in different national traditions.

Kottick, Edward (2003) ''A History of the Harpsichord'', Indiana University Press, ISBN 0-253-34166-3. An extensive survey by a leading contemporary scholar.

O'Brien, Grant (1990) ''Ruckers, a harpsichord and virginal building tradition'', Cambridge University Press, ISBN 0-521-36565-1. Covers the innovations of the Ruckers family, the founders of the Flemish tradition.

Russell, Raymond (1973)''The Harpsichord and Clavichord: an introductory study'', 2nd ed., London : Faber and Faber, ISBN 0-571-04795-5

Skowroneck, Martin (2003) ''Cembalobau: Erfahrungen und Erkenntnisse aus der Werkstattpraxis = Harpsichord construction: a craftsman's workshop experience and insight'', Fachbuchreihe Das Musikinstrument 83, Bergkirchen : Bochinsky, ISBN 3-932275-58-6. A study (written in English and German) of harpsichord building by a leading figure in the modern revival of historically authentic methods of building.

Zuckermann, Wolfgang (1969) ''The Modern Harpsichord: twentieth century instruments and their makers'', New York : October House, ISBN 0-8079-0165-2

External links

;Instruments

A few historic harpsichords from the collection at The Metropolitan Museum of Art

* Double virginal by Hans Ruckers, Antwerp, 1581

* Harpsichord by Girolamo Zenti, Rome, 1666

* Harpsichord by Jan Couchet, Antwerp, 1650

* Octave virginal, Augsburg, ca. 1600

* Spinnetta or Virginal, Venice, ca. 1540

* Golden Harpsichord by Michele Todini, Rome, ca. 1675

* Harpsichord, Italy, late 17th century

* Harpsichord by Pleyel et Cie, Paris, 1928

A harpsichord constructed from Lego

;History

''Italian Harpsichord-Building in the 16th and 17th Centuries'' by Shortridge

;Listen

Hear the sound of various harpsichords

''Sala del Cembalo'', free harpsichord sound files

;Images

''HarpsichordPhoto'', photographs of early stringed keyboard instruments

;Organisations

British Harpsichord Society

;Craftsman insights

Interview with harpsichord builder Jack Peters

;Music

''Procembalo'' free catalog of contemporary harpsichord music

Category:Keyboard instruments Category:Early musical instruments Category:Baroque instruments

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Coordinates	28°36′36″N77°13′48″N
name	José Iturbi
background	classical_ensemble
born	November 28, 1895Valencia, Spain
died	June 28, 1980Los Angeles, California, USA
instrument	Piano
genre	Classical
occupation	Conductor, pianist
associated acts	Rochester Philharmonic }}

José Iturbi (28 November 1895 – 28 June 1980) was a Spanish conductor, harpsichordist and pianist. He appeared in several Hollywood films of the 1940s, notably playing himself in the 1943 musical, ''Thousands Cheer'' and in the 1945 film, ''Anchors Aweigh''. He was involved in a complex family custody battle in the 1940s that culminated in his former son-in-law kidnapping Iturbi's two granddaughters.

Biography

Born in Valencia, Spain, of Basque descent, Iturbi studied in Barcelona and at the Valencia and Paris conservatories on scholarship; at this time, he also undertook extensive private studies in keyboard technique and interpretation with the harpsichordist Wanda Landowska. His worldwide concert tours, beginning around 1912, were brilliantly successful. He excelled as an interpreter of French as well as Spanish music. He made his American debut in New York City in 1929. He made his first appearance as a conductor in Mexico City in 1933 when presented by donon Ernesto de Quesada from Conciertos Daniel. In April 1936, Iturbi was injured in the crash and sinking of Pan American Airways' Puerto Rican Clipper in Port-of-Spain, Trinidad. After the incident, he said he would not be able to play "for some time", and "I may not be able to conduct again." Later that year, however, he was named conductor of the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra in upstate New York, serving until 1944. He also led the Valencia Symphony Orchestra for many years. He often appeared in concert with his sister, Amparo Iturbi, who was also a renowned pianist.

Iturbi was a noted harpsichordist, and made several short length instructional films utilizing the re-emergent early 20th C. French Pleyel et Cie pedal, metal-framed harpsichord made famous by Wanda Landowska. He appeared as an actor-performer in several filmed musicals of the 1940s, beginning with 1943's ''Thousands Cheer'' for MGM. He usually appeared as himself in these films. He later was featured in MGM's ''Anchors Aweigh'', which starred Gene Kelly and Frank Sinatra, as well as several other MGM movies. In the biopic about Frédéric Chopin, ''A Song to Remember'', Iturbi's playing was used in the soundtrack in scenes where Cornel Wilde, as Chopin, was playing the piano.

Unfortunately, while these films made him very popular during his lifetime, his musical exhibitionism and Hollywood appearances caused many connoisseurs to undervalue him as a serious musician.

Personal life

Iturbi married María Giner de los Santos in 1916; she died in 1928. They had one child, María. His companion for many years was Marion Seabury, his secretary, who survived him and founded the José Iturbi Foundation after his death.

María Iturbi married Stephan Hero, an American concert violinist who had been one of her father's protégés in 1936. They had two daughters, Maria Antonia and Maria Theresa, before separating in 1939. At age 28, in 1946, Iturbi's daughter committed suicide.

María Hero had obtained legal custody of the children in her 1941 divorce; her former husband had them for three months of each year. In 1943 Iturbi took his daughter to court for custody of the girls, calling her unfit, according to ''The New York Times''. Their father, Stephan Hero, absconded with them while Iturbi was on a European concert tour in 1947. After a court battle, Iturbi and his former son-in-law ultimately resolved their differences, and the girls remained with their father.

José Iturbi continued his public performances into his eighties. Finally he was ordered by his doctors to take a sabbatical in March 1980. He died on 28 June 1980, five days after being admitted to Cedars-Sinai Hospital for heart problems.

Popular culture

Iturbi is mentioned in Philip Roth's bestselling ''Portnoy's Complaint'', where the women in Portnoy's neighborhood call a talented young pianist "José Iturbi the Second". The pianist kills himself because of his overpowering mother and thus becomes a memento to the protagonist, who also has to deal with a dominant mother. The reference to Iturbi is probably a side-thrust at the Jewish community Portnoy grows up in, especially at its mercantile, Hollywood-dominated notion of culture.

Cormac McCarthy honored Iturbi with a moment of colloquial humor in ''Suttree'', his semi-autobiographical novel published in 1979. Conversing with his Aunt Martha on the topic of dogs once owned between himself and his ancestors, he proclaimed, "We had one named Jose Iturbi. Because it was the peeinest dog."

See also

José Iturbi International Piano Competition

List of Basques

References

External links

http://www.joseiturbi.com

Category:1895 births Category:1980 deaths Category:People from Valencia Category:Valencian musicians Category:American people of Basque descent Category:Spanish conductors (music) Category:Spanish classical pianists Category:Classical piano duos Category:José Iturbi International Piano Competition

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Manuel de Falla y Matheu (November 23, 1876November 14, 1946) was a Spanish Andalusian composer of classical music. With Isaac Albéniz, Enrique Granados and Joaquín Turina he is one of Spain's most important musicians of the first half of the 20th century.

Biography

Falla was born as Manuel María de los Dolores Falla y Matheu in Cádiz. He was the son of José María Falla y Franco and María Jesús Matheu y Zabal. His early teachers in music were his mother and grandfather; at the age of nine he was introduced to his first piano professor, Eloísa Galluzo. Little is known of that period of his life, but his relationship with his teacher was soon ended after she decided to then enter in a convent, Sisters of Charity, to become a nun. In 1889 he continued his piano lessons with Alejandro Odero and learned the techniques of harmony and counterpoint from Enrique Broca. At age 15 he became interested in literature and journalism and founded the literary magazines ''El Burlón'' and ''El Cascabel''. In 1893 he was inspired by a concert of Edvard Grieg's works, later saying that at the time he felt that "my definitive vocation is music".

Madrid

In 1896 he moved to Madrid where he attended the Real Conservatorio de Música y Declamación. He studied piano with José Tragó, a colleague of Isaac Albéniz and composition with Felipe Pedrell. In 1897 he composed ''Melodia'' for cello and piano and dedicated it to Salvador Viniegra who hosted evenings of chamber music that Falla attended. In 1899, by unanimous vote, he was awarded the first prize at the piano competition at his school of music. He premiered his first works: ''Romanza para violonchelo y piano'', ''Nocturno para piano'', ''Melodía para violonchelo y piano'', ''Serenata andaluza para violín y piano'', and ''Cuarteto en Sol y Mireya''. That same year he started to use ''de'' with his first surname, making ''Manuel de Falla'' the name he became known as from that time on. When only the surname is used, however, the ''de'' is omitted.

In 1900 he composed his ''Canción para piano'' and various other vocal and piano pieces. He premiered his ''Serenata andaluza y Vals-Capricho para piano'' in the Ateneo de Madrid. Due to the precarious financial position of his family he began to teach piano classes.

It was from Pedrell, during the Madrid period, that Falla became interested in native Andalusian music, particularly Andalusian flamenco (specifically ''cante jondo''), the influence of which can be strongly felt in many of his works. Among his early pieces are a number of zarzuelas like ''La Juana y la Petra'' and ''La casa de tócame Roque''. On April 12, 1902 he premiered ''Los amores de la Inés'' in the Teatro Cómico de Madrid. The same year he met the composer Joaquín Turina and saw his ''Vals-Capricho'' y ''Serenata andaluza'' published by the Society of Authors. The following year he composed and performed ''Allegro de concierto'' for the Madrid Royal Conservatory competition. Pianist Enrique Granados took first prize but the Society of Authors published Falla's works ''Tus ojillos negros'' and ''Nocturno''. Falla then began his collaboration with composer Amadeo Vives on the zarzuelas ''Prisionero de guerra'', ''El cornetín de órdenes'' and ''La cruz de Malta'' (only fragments of these works survive).

His first important work was the one-act opera ''La vida breve'' (''Life is Short'', or ''The Brief Life'', written in 1905, though revised before its premiere in 1913). With a libretto by Carlos Fernández Shaw, ''La vida breve'' won Falla first prize in the Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando musical competition. In April 1905 he won the first prize in a piano competition sponsored by the firm of Ortiz and Cussó. On May 15 his work ''Allegro de concierto'' premiered in the Ateneo de Madrid and on November 13 the Real Academia presented him with his prize for ''La vida breve''.

Paris

In 1907 at the advice of Joaquín Turina and Víctor Mirecki Larramat, Falla moved to Paris. There he met a number of composers who had an influence on his style, including the impressionists Maurice Ravel, Claude Debussy and Paul Dukas. In 1908 King Alfonso XIII awarded him a royal grant that enabled him to remain in Paris while he finished his ''Cuatro piezas españolas''. Meanwhile, the dramatist Paul Milliet translated the libretto of ''La vida breve'' into French for its French premiere on April 1, 1913 at the Municipal Casino in Nice. In 1910 Falla met Igor Stravinsky and traveled briefly to London. He wrote ''Siete canciones populares españolas'' which he finished in mid-1914. Shortly afterward World War I began when Germany declared war and Falla returned to Madrid. While at no stage was he a prolific composer, it was then that he entered into his mature creative period.

Return to Madrid

In Madrid he composed several of his best known pieces, including:

The nocturne for piano and orchestra ''Nights in the Gardens of Spain'' (''Noches en los jardines de España'', 1916)

The ballet ''El amor brujo'' (''Love the Magician'', 1915) which includes the much excerpted and arranged ''Ritual Fire Dance''

The ballet ''The Magistrate and the Miller's Wife'' (''El corregidor y la molinera'') which, after revision, became ''The Three-Cornered Hat'' (''El sombrero de tres picos'', 1917) and was produced by Serge Diaghilev with set design and costumes by Pablo Picasso.

Granada period

From 1921 to 1939 Manuel de Falla lived in Granada, where he organized the Concurso de Cante Jondo in 1922. In Granada he wrote the puppet opera ''El retablo de maese Pedro'' (''Master Peter's Puppet Show'', 1923) and a concerto for harpsichord and chamber ensemble (''Harpsichord Concerto'', 1926). The puppet opera marked the first time the harpsichord had entered the modern orchestra; and the concerto was the first for harpsichord written in the 20th Century. Both of these works were written with Wanda Landowska in mind. In these works, the Spanish folk influence is somewhat less apparent than a kind of Stravinskian neoclassicism.

Also in Granada, Falla began work on the large-scale orchestral cantata ''Atlàntida'' (''Atlantis''), based on the Catalan text ''L'Atlàntida'' by Jacint Verdaguer. Falla considered ''Atlàntida'' to be the most important of all his works; posterity has not agreed with this verdict, and performances of the piece have been extremely rare. Verdaguer's text gives a mythological account of how the submersion of Atlantis created the Atlantic ocean, thus separating Spain and Latin America, and how later the Spanish discovery of America reunited what had always belonged together. Falla tried but failed to prevent the murder of his close friend, the poet Federico García Lorca in 1936.

Argentina

Falla continued work on ''Atlàntida'' after moving to Argentina in 1939, following Francisco Franco's victory in the Spanish Civil War. The orchestration of the piece remained incomplete at his death and was completed posthumously by Ernesto Halffter. He also premiered his ''Suite Homenajes'' in Buenos Aires in November 1939. In 1940, he was named a Knight of the Order of King Alfonso X of Castile. Franco's government offered him a large pension if he would return to Spain, but he refused.

Falla did spend some time teaching in exile. Among his notable pupils was composer Rosa García Ascot. His health began to decline and he moved to a house in the mountains where he was tended by his sister María del Carmen de Falla. He died of cardiac arrest on November 14, 1946 in Alta Gracia, in the Argentine province of Córdoba. In 1947 his remains were brought back to Spain and entombed in the cathedral at Cádiz. One of the lasting honors to his memory is the Manuel de Falla Chair of Music in the Faculty of Philosophy and Letters at Complutense University of Madrid. His image appeared on Spanish currency notes for some years. Manuel de Falla never married and had no children.

Works

:See List of compositions by Manuel de Falla and List of works for the stage by Falla.

Media

References

''Manuel de Falla and the Spanish Musical Renaissance'' by Burnett James (Gollancz, London, 1979)

''Manuel de Falla : a bibliography and research guide'' by Andrew Budwig with Preface by Gilbert Chase (Garland Publishers, 1986)

''Manuel de Falla'' by Nancy Lee Harper (Greenwood Publishing Group, 1998)

''Manuel De Falla and Modernism in Spain'' by Carol A Hess (University of Chicago Press, 2001)

''Falla'' by Manuel Orozco Diaz (Barcelona: Salvat 1985)

See also

John Brande Trend

Recordings by de Falla

Manuel de Falla 1876-1946 Grabaciones históricas; Centro de Documentación Musical de Andalucía. (Almaviva, HOM13080) (ref)

''Rollos de Pianola (Obras de Albéniz, Granados, Turina, Ocón, Chapí, Alonso y Otros)'' (Almaviva, DS - 0141)

External links

The Manuel de Falla Foundation in Spanish and English

''Nana'' by Manuel de Falla from his ''Siete Canciones Populares Españolas'' (played by Duo Roldan)

performed by Arthur Rubinstein

Concert version for cello performed by Julian Lloyd Webber (cello)

Category:1876 births Category:1946 deaths Category:People from Cádiz Category:Andalusian musicians Category:20th-century classical composers Category:Flamenco musicians Category:Opera composers Category:Spanish composers Category:Ballet composers Category:Alumni of the Madrid Royal Conservatory

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Coordinates	28°36′36″N77°13′48″N
Name	Rosemary Clooney
Background	solo_singer
Born	May 23, 1928Maysville, Kentucky, U.S.
Died	June 29, 2002Beverly Hills, California, U.S.
Genre	Traditional pop, vocal jazz
Years active	1946–2001
Occupation	Singer, Actress
Spouse	Jose Ferrer (1953–1961; 1964–1967), Dante Cesare DiPaolo (1997–2002, her death)
Label	ColumbiaMGMCoralRCA VictorRepriseDotUnited ArtistsConcord Jazz
Website	Rosemary Clooney Palladium website }}

Rosemary Clooney (May 23, 1928 – June 29, 2002) was an American singer and actress. She came to prominence in the early 1950s with the novelty hit "Come On-a My House" written by William Saroyan and his cousin Ross Bagdasarian (David Seville), which was followed by other pop numbers such as "Botch-a-Me" (a cover version of the Italian song ''Ba-Ba-Baciami Piccina'' by Alberto Rabagliati), "Mambo Italiano", "Tenderly", "Half as Much", "Hey There" and "This Ole House", though she would go on to success as a jazz vocalist. Clooney's career languished in the 1960s, partly due to problems related to depression and drug addiction, but revived in 1974, when her ''White Christmas'' co-star Bing Crosby asked her to appear with him at a show marking his 50th anniversary in show business. She continued recording until her death in 2002. She is the aunt of Academy Award winning actor George Clooney.

Early life

Clooney was born in Maysville, Kentucky, to Andrew Joseph Clooney and Marie Frances Guilfoyle, both of whom were Roman Catholics of Irish and German ancestry. When Clooney was fifteen, her mother and brother, Nick, moved to California. She and her sister, Betty, remained with their father. Rosemary, Betty and Nick all became entertainers. In the next generation, some of her children, including Miguel Ferrer and Rafael Ferrer, and her nephew, George Clooney, also became respected entertainers. In 1945, the Clooney sisters won a spot on Cincinnati, Ohio's radio station WLW as singers. Her sister Betty sang in a duo with Clooney for much of her early career.

Career

Clooney's first recordings, in May 1946, were for Columbia Records. She sang with Tony Pastor's big band. Clooney continued working with the Pastor band until 1949, making her last recording with the band in May of that year and her first as a solo artist a month later, still for Columbia. In 1951, her record of "Come On-a My House", produced by Mitch Miller, became a hit. It was her first of many singles to hit the charts—despite the fact that Clooney hated the song passionately. She had been told by Columbia Records to record the song, and that she would be in violation of her contract if she did not do so. Around 1952, Rosemary recorded several duets with Marlene Dietrich.

In 1954, she starred, along with Bing Crosby, Danny Kaye, and Vera-Ellen, in the movie ''White Christmas''. She starred, in 1956, in a half-hour syndicated television musical-variety show ''The Rosemary Clooney Show''. The show featured The Hi-Lo's singing group and Nelson Riddle's orchestra. The following year, the show moved to NBC prime time as ''The Lux Show Starring Rosemary Clooney'' but only lasted one season. The new show featured the singing group The Modernaires and Frank DeVol's orchestra. In later years, Clooney would often appear with Bing Crosby on television, such as in the 1957 special ''The Edsel Show'', and the two friends made a concert tour of Ireland together. On November 21, 1957, she appeared on NBC's ''The Ford Show, Starring Tennessee Ernie Ford,'' a frequent entry in the "Top 20" and featuring a musical group called "The Top Twenty." In 1960, Clooney and Crosby co-starred in a 20-minute CBS radio program aired before the midday news each weekday.

Clooney left Columbia Records in 1958, doing a number of recordings for MGM Records and then some for Coral Records. Finally, toward the end of 1958, she signed with RCA Victor Records, where she stayed until 1963. In 1964, she went to Reprise Records, and in 1965 to Dot Records. She moved to United Artists Records in 1966.

Beginning in 1977, she recorded an album a year for the Concord Jazz record label, which continued until her death. This was in contrast to most of her generation of singers who had long since stopped recording regularly by then. In the late-1970s and early-1980s, Clooney did television commercials for Coronet brand paper towels, during which she sang a memorable jingle that goes, "Extra value is what you get, when you buy Coro-net." James Belushi later parodied Clooney and the commercial while as a cast member on NBC's ''Saturday Night Live'' in the early 1980s. Clooney sang a duet with Wild Man Fischer on "It's a Hard Business" in 1986, and in 1994 she sang a duet of ''Green Eyes'' with Barry Manilow in his 1994 album, ''Singin' with the Big Bands''.

She guest-starred in the NBC television medical drama ''ER'' (starring her nephew, George Clooney) in 1995; she received a Primetime Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series. On January 27, 1996, Clooney appeared on Garrison Keillor's ''Prairie Home Companion'' radio program. She sang "When October Goes" -- lyrics by Johnny Mercer and music by Barry Manilow (after Mercer's death) -- from Manilow's 1984 album ''2:00 AM Paradise Cafe'', and discussed what an excellent musician Manilow was.

In 1999, Clooney founded the Rosemary Clooney Music Festival, held annually in Maysville, her hometown. She performed at the festival every year until her death. Proceeds benefit the restoration of the Russell Theater in Maysville, where Clooney's first film, ''The Stars are Singing'', premiered in 1953.

She received the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2002.

Personal life

Clooney suffered for much of her life from bipolar disorder. She revealed this and other details of her life in her two autobiographies.

Clooney was married twice to the movie star José Ferrer who was sixteen years her senior. They were first married from 1953 until 1961 and, despite his open infidelities, again from 1964 to 1967. They had five children: actor Miguel Ferrer (b. 1955), Maria Ferrer (b. 1956), Gabriel Ferrer (b. 1957) (who married singer Debby Boone), Monsita Ferrer (b. 1958), and Rafael Ferrer (b. 1960).

In 1968, her relationship with a young drummer ended after two years, and she became increasingly dependent on pills after a punishing tour.

She joined the presidential campaign of close friend Bobby Kennedy, and heard the shots when he was assassinated on June 5, 1968. A month later she had a nervous breakdown onstage in Reno, Nevada, and was hospitalized. She remained in psychoanalysis therapy for eight years afterwards. Her sister Betty died suddenly of a brain aneurysm in 1976. She subsequently started a foundation in memory of and named for her sister. During this time she wrote her first autobiography, ''This for Remembrance: the Autobiography of Rosemary Clooney, an Irish-American Singer'', written in collaboration with Raymond Strait and published by Playboy Press in 1977. She chronicled her unhappy early life, her career as a singer, her marriage to Ferrer and mental health problems, concluding with her comeback as a singer and her happiness. Her good friend Bing Crosby wrote the introduction. Katherine Coker adapted the book for Jackie Cooper who produced and directed the television movie, ''Rosie: the Rosemary Clooney Story'' (1982) starring Sondra Locke (who lip syncs Clooney's songs), Penelope Milford as Betty and Tony Orlando who plays Jose Ferrer.

Living for many years in Beverly Hills, California, in the house formerly owned by George and Ira Gershwin, in 1980, she purchased a second home on Riverside Drive in Augusta, Kentucky, near Maysville, her childhood hometown. In 1983, Rosemary and her brother Nick co-chaired the Betty Clooney Foundation for the Brain-Injured, addressing the needs of survivors of cognitive disabilities caused by strokes, tumors and brain damage from trauma or age.

In 1999 Clooney published her second autobiography, ''Girl Singer: An Autobiography'' describing her battles with addiction to prescription drugs for depression, and how she lost and then regained a fortune. "I'd call myself a sweet singer with a big band sensibility," she wrote.

Today, the Augusta house offers viewing of collections of her personal items and from many of her films and singing performances. Her Beverly Hills home at 1019 North Roxbury Drive was sold to a developer after her death in 2002 and has been demolished.

She married her longtime friend, a former dancer, Dante DiPaolo in 1997 at St. Patrick's Church in Maysville, Kentucky.\

Lung cancer and death

Clooney was diagnosed with lung cancer at the end of 2001. Around this time, she gave her last concert, in Hawaii, backed by the Honolulu Symphony Pops; her last song was "God Bless America". Despite surgery, she died six months later on June 29, 2002, at her Beverly Hills home. Her nephew, George Clooney, was a pallbearer at her funeral, which was attended by numerous stars, including Al Pacino. She is buried at Saint Patrick's Cemetery, Maysville.

In 2003 Rosemary Clooney was inducted into the Kentucky Women Remembered exhibit and her portrait by Alison Lyne is on permanent display in the Kentucky State Capitol's rotunda.

In September 2007 a mural honoring moments from her life was painted in downtown Maysville. The mural highlights her lifelong friendship with Blanche Chambers, the 1953 premier of ''The Stars are Singing'' and her singing career. It was painted by Louisiana muralists Robert Dafford, Herb Roe and Brett Chigoy as part of the Maysville Floodwall Murals project. Her brother Nick Clooney spoke during the dedication for the mural, explaining various images to the crowd.

Discography

Filmography

''Tony Pastor and His Orchestra'' (1947) (short subject)

''Slaughter Trail'' (1951)

''The Stars Are Singing'' (1953)

''Here Come the Girls'' (1953)

''Red Garters'' (1954)

''White Christmas'' (1954)

''Deep in My Heart'' (1954; cameo appearance)

''Frasier'' (1993)

''Radioland Murders'' (1994)

''ER'' (1994)

''Marlene Dietrich: Her Own Song'' (2002) (documentary)

See also

Rosemary Clooney Museum; Augusta, Kentucky

References

External links

Rosemary Clooney Palladium page

Clooney Discography

Biography on musicianguide.com

"Elvis Bows, Bing Just Nods: High and Low Culture in ''Fancy Meeting You Here''" by Gilbert L. Gigliotti

Category:1928 births Category:2002 deaths Category:American Roman Catholics Category:American female singers Category:American pop singers Category:Cabaret singers Category:Cancer deaths in California Category:Deaths from lung cancer Category:Decca Records artists Category:American musicians of German descent Category:Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award winners Category:American musicians of Irish descent Category:American people of German descent Category:American people of Irish descent Category:MGM Records artists Category:Musicians from Kentucky Category:Kentucky Democrats Category:California Democrats Category:People from Mason County, Kentucky Category:People with bipolar disorder Category:Torch singers Category:Traditional pop music singers Category:RCA Victor artists Category:Concord Records artists Category:Actors from Kentucky Category:History of women in Kentucky

be:Розмары Клуні de:Rosemary Clooney es:Rosemary Clooney fr:Rosemary Clooney gl:Rosemary Clooney ko:로즈메리 클루니 hr:Rosemary Clooney id:Rosemary Clooney it:Rosemary Clooney nl:Rosemary Clooney ja:ローズマリー・クルーニー no:Rosemary Clooney nov:Rosemary Clooney pl:Rosemary Clooney pt:Rosemary Clooney ru:Клуни, Розмари simple:Rosemary Clooney fi:Rosemary Clooney sv:Rosemary Clooney th:โรสแมรี คลูนีย์

Pierre Hantaï, (born 28 February 1964, Paris) is a French conductor and harpsichordist. The son of painter Simon Hantaï, he took up the harpsichord at the age of 11 and studied in Paris with the American teacher Arthur Haas followed by two years in Amsterdam with Gustav Leonhardt. In 1982 he won the second prize in the Bruges harpsichord competition.

He sometimes performs with his two brothers, Marc (a player of the baroque flute) and Jérôme (a viol player and pianist). He has played in many baroque orchestras, including ''La Petite Bande'' under the direction of Sigiswald Kuijken and ''Le Concert des Nations'' under the direction of Jordi Savall. He has collaborated with many other musicians, including Philippe Herreweghe and Marc Minkowski. In 1985, he founded his own ensemble with his brothers, ''le Concert Français'', which he directs from the harpsichord.

External links

Bach-cantatas.com: Pierre Hantaï - biography and photos

Goldberg Web: Pierre Hantaï - biography and discography

Category:1964 births Category:French harpsichordists Category:Performers of early music Category:French conductors (music) Category:Musicians from Paris Category:Living people

de:Pierre Hantaï fr:Pierre Hantaï nl:Pierre Hantaï ja:ピエール・アンタイ ru:Антай, Пьер