Roseingrave's career was significantly impacted when he was denied permission to marry a woman he loved, leading to psychological distress and affecting his ability to perform.
Compositional Technique
Roseingrave's harpsichord suites often deviate from traditional models, incorporating a mix of courtly dances, vocal lyricism, French tendresse, fugal writing, and extravagantly arpeggiated preludes.
Performer Biography
Bridget Cunningham, the harpsichordist on this album, is a prizewinning harpsichordist, musicologist, and conductor, and this recording is part of a larger series of her albums with Signum Classics.
Instruments
This recording was made on a double-manual Ruckers harpsichord with ravalement, a type Roseingrave likely encountered in London, possibly at the opera house where he worked.
Composition History
This album presents the world premiere recording of the complete Eight Harpsichord Suites by Thomas Roseingrave, a collection described as bold, original, and genuinely outstanding.
Cultural Impact
Roseingrave's 1739 edition of Domenico Scarlatti's sonatas was a "labour of love" that heightened the reception of Scarlatti's music in England, initiating a "Scarlatti cult."
Composer Biography
Thomas Roseingrave, the composer, was born in Winchester and came from a family of musicians active in both Ireland and England in the early 18th century.
