Welcome,

The year 2009 is the occasion to celebrate the 200th anniversary of Josef Haydn’s death. We know his clavichord, an instrument by Johann Bohak (Vienna, 1794), now in the Museum of the Royal College of Music in London. As Haydn’s relation with our instrument has not been put much in evidence until now, we will take the opportunity of this Symposium to further our knowledge on the interpretation of his works on the most expressive of the keyboard instruments.

The eighteenth century was also a period in which the trend towards louder sonority saw the progressive growth of the fortepiano, after its invention by Bartolomeo Cristofori. This genial inventor took the harpsichord as a starting point; some decades later, the German instrument builders followed the same path, but starting from the clavichord, and invented the square piano. Fifty years ago, the growing interest for the ancient fortepiano was directed almost exclusively towards the grand fortepiano, considering the square piano as a “second class” instrument, similar to our modern upright piano. The second aim of this meeting is to deepen this theme and to give back to the square piano its rightful place in the history of the musical instruments, a place demonstrated by its rich iconography.

As usual, our central topics will not be our unique field of activity, and we will also dedicate time to other themes.

It is our great pleasure to welcome so many of you this time and to wish you a pleasant and fruitful sojourn in Magnano.

Once again, I would like to bid everyone a warm welcome to Magnano, where, as ever, we benefit so much from the hospitality of the residents and especially of Bernard Brauchli and his team.

Once again, alas, I have to apologise for my absence in person, although I will be thinking of you celebrating the clavichord and its repertoire while I am leading festivities in Japan marking some of the many musical anniversaries which have crowded on us this year.

In particular we will all be commemorating Haydn on the 200th anniversary of his death, and in the process bringing to light and to life a deal of repertoire which is overlooked by many practitioners in the musical world. For too long Haydn has existed in the shadow of Amadeus, but his true value is gradually being revealed, not only in many symphonic and vocal works but in his chamber creations and his music that is accessible to the amateur. He himself confessed that he was “no wizard“ on the keyboard, and as a result there is a welcoming accessibility in many of his keyboard works — and not only his acknowledged compositions, but the many works that were nicely adapted by his contemporaries to increase the quantity of fine music available for all keyboard players.

In addition, Haydn stands at the junction where, in Vienna and elsewhere, the clavichord was sharing repertoire with the early fortepiano and Tafelklavier. This connection will also be explored in this year’s recitals and Symposium and will, as always with Magnano, again shed light into forgotten corners of our musical past.

Benvenuto a tutti.