Mersenne's Clavichord: Keyboard Music in 16th & 17th Century France

Featuring

Terence Charlston
Antoine de Févin
Anonymous
Pierre-Auguste-Louis Blondeau
Antonio Gardano
Pierre Megnier

Charles Racquet
Louis XIII
Mercure d’Orléans
Jan Pieterszoon Sweelinck
Gerard Scronx
Jean-Henri d’Anglebert
Jacques Champion Chambonnières
Louis Couperin
Nicolas Gigault
Nicolas Lebègue

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Recording & Production

This album features a reconstruction of a clavichord described in Marin Mersenne's Harmonie Universelle, a monumental musical encyclopedia from the 17th century.

Instruments

The clavichord used on this recording was built by British clavichord maker Peter Bavington, based on Marin Mersenne's isometric illustration and exact proportions.

Interpretation

The performer, Terence Charlston, made several arrangements for this recording, including pieces from Attaingnant's publications, and a song from Mersenne's Harmonie Universelle.

Recording & Production

The recording was made very close to the instrument to capture detail, and listeners are encouraged to keep their audio volume low to simulate the clavichord's actual quiet volume.

Compositional Technique

The most extended piece on this recording, Charles Racquet's four-part Fantaisie, was provided at Marin Mersenne's request as an example of what could be done on the organ.

Instruments

No clavichords of French origin from the 16th or 17th centuries survive, making Marin Mersenne's detailed description and plans in his Harmonie Universelle particularly significant.

Instruments

The Mersenne clavichord reconstruction has five bridges, each contributing a distinctive sound, creating at least four registers or characters that correspond to vocal ranges.