Great Barrington — If you hold strong opinions about tuning systems, it could be a sign that you are a harpsichord geek.
Most piano tuners use the equal temperament system, but advanced harpsichordists sometimes tune their instruments using historical temperaments popular in earlier times. Such is the case with Mariken Palmboom, Elliot Figg, and Caitlyn Koester, the musicians performing in the Berkshire Bach Society’s harpsichord festival, which will be held on October 14 and November 12 at Kellogg Music Center, Simon’s Rock.
Why should anyone care about tuning systems?
Because, depending on the repertoire, the sound of a harpsichord tuned to a historical temperament may be more pleasing to the ear than what you get from equal temperament (which never sounds perfectly in tune no matter what the key).
To geeks and audiophiles, the difference between tuning systems is substantial, if subtle. That is why the three musicians performing in this festival like to tune their instruments using systems intended to enhance the expressiveness of music in specific keys. They like the way it sounds, and they want to make their audience aware of this preference, because they are adamant about it. (You could even say that it is part of their brand.) For this reason, the players will hold a Q&A panel discussion on the subject immediately following the performance. (The last time Berkshire Bach did this, the discussion lasted for nearly an hour, because the audience was so curious and engaged.)
As you would expect, Berkshire Bach Society Interim Executive Director Terrill McDade loves to talk about Baroque tunings:
“The harpsichord is iconic, and the festival gives us the chance to showcase its versatility and especially to grapple with one of the most intriguing aspects of Baroque music, tuning, and how it differs from what is typically used today.
“The idea of equal temperament came to dominate European music after Bach’s time. If you’ve ever wondered how people tuned before Bach, here’s your chance to hear the difference and all the wonderful, unique colors that early Baroque composers expressed in their music.
“It is unexpected to the ear trained in equal temperament—but also revelatory.”
The first concert in the festival, on Saturday, October 14, features Dutch harpsichordist Mariken Palmboom performing 17th-century works by Sweelinck, Bull, Gibbons, Purcell, and J.S. Bach.
The second concert, on Sunday, November 12, features Elliot Figg and Caitlyn Koester presenting a two-harpsichord program of pieces by members of two prominent Baroque-era keyboard dynasties. Works by Johann Sebastian Bach, Wilhelm Friedemann Bach, Louis Couperin, and François Couperin preview a concert the duo will present on November 30 at St. Malachy’s Church in New York City, sponsored by Gotham Early Music Scene Inc.
Mariken Palmboom is organist at the First Congregational Church in Worthington, Mass. She provides private keyboard instruction to students in the Berkshires, where she has lived since 1997. In her student days, Palmboom majored in harpsichord performance in the Early Music Department of the Royal Conservatory in The Hague before earning a master’s degree in solo performance at the Royal Flemish Conservatory. In Holland, Palmboom worked with many pioneers of the period instrument movement, including legendary harpsichordist Gustav Leonhardt. She has performed as a soloist and continuo player in Europe and the U.S. and has participated in early music festivals in Flanders, Utrecht, Berkeley, and Boston, collaborating with such artists as Jos van Immerseel, Frans Brüggen, Jaap Schröder, and Marion Verbruggen. More recently, she has performed in collaboration with Jane Hershey, Dana Maiben, Anne Legêne, Tricia van Oers, Rodrigo Tarraza, and Emily Hale.
Elliot Figg and Caitlyn Koester are graduates of the Historical Performance Program at The Juilliard School and make their debut as a duo with Berkshire Bach.
Hear harpsichordists Mariken Palmboom, Elliot Figg, and Caitlyn Koester perform in the Berkshire Bach Society’s harpsichord festival at Kellogg Music Center, Simon’s Rock, 84 Alford Road, on Saturday, October 14, at 4 p.m., and Sunday, November 12, at 4 p.m. Single-concert tickets: $45; two-concert package: $85; Card to Culture tickets: $10. Admission for children under 18 and students with ID is free.
