For Constantijn Huygens, music was a lifelong passion, which he considered his 'breathing' after the travails of the working day.
Composition History
Constantijn Huygens's Pathodia sacra et profana, published in 1647, is a collection of twenty Latin psalm settings, twelve Italian arie, and seven French airs for solo voice and continuo.
Composer Biography
Constantijn Huygens, the central figure of this recording, was a diplomat and the son of a diplomat, serving as Counsellor and Secretary to two Princes of Orange.
Instruments
The harpsichord used in this recording is a Franco-Flemish copy after Ruckers Taskin, made by Gérald Cattin.
Instruments
The lautenwerck (lute-harpsichord) on this recording is a copy of an early seventeenth-century Italian instrument, strung with gut.
Historical Context
In the Dutch Golden Age, musicians were often multi-instrumentalists, and Huygens's music was intended to be playable on various keyboard instruments found in wealthy homes.
Interpretation
The recording uses a tuning of A = 409 Hz, based on the pitch of a Couchet harpsichord acquired by Constantijn Huygens in 1648, as determined by his son Christiaan Huygens.
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