I like to think of Emanuel Bach as the ultimate composer for the clavichord, which he is, but that ignores that fact that he played harpsichord and fortepiano as a part of his official duties. Indeed, it may be that his clavichord performances were exclusively to intimate audiences, such as the one recounted by Charles Burney.
While one can argue over which instrument was intended for any particular piece, I think it as wasted an exercise as it is for Emanuel's father, Sebastian: both were practical realists who worked with what they had. Both were facile on all keyboard instruments and Emanuel even writes:
Every keyboardist should own a good harpsichord and a good clavichord to enable him to play all things interchangeably. A good clavichordist makes and accomplished harpsichordist, but not the reverse. The clavichord is needed for the study of good performance, and the harpsichord to develop proper finger strength. Those who play the clavichord exclusively encounter many difficulties when they turn to the harpsichord. ... The clavichordist grows too much accustomed to caressing the keys; consequently, his wonted touch being insufficient to operate the jacks, he fails to bring out details on the harpsichord.There are at least a few fine recordings of Emanuel Bach on the harpsichord, usually in combination with a fortepiano. One favorite is a fairly early one (1989) of Andreas Staier, which has a memorable recording of the a minor Württemberg sonata. Gustav Leonhardt has recording his music on clavichord, fortepiano and harpsichord over the years; awhile back a 2-CD compilation was made on the Seon/Sony label (SB2K 61789) that has some of the best solo CPEB I have, but unfortunately I can't find that budget recording available anywhere now.
Carole Cerasi released a recording in 2000 that I have known about all of these years, but only recently purchased because she is coming to town soon. I occasionally noticed good reports of it, but eschewed it on the grounds that she looked like she was too attractive to do the music justice. (I'm going to pay for that confession, I just know it!) I should have known better to hold one's looks against them and it was I who was the loser all of these years. Her recording on both harpsichord and fortepiano is very intelligent, elegant and polished: all of the things one wants in Emanuel's music.
The first half of the recording is done on a "copy" of an instrument by Mietke. There are two of Mietke's instruments surviving at the Schloss Charlottenburg in Berlin that we know with near certainty that Emanuel played. Both instruments, which weren't authenticated until one of his relatively untouched instruments was discovered in Hudiksvall, Sweden in the latter 20th century, had been modified to the point where it wasn't clear what they originally were. I have been told by builders that it is easy to build a beautiful looking, but bland sounding Mietke double. However, Bruce Kennedy seems to have found the right combination and has produced magnificent examples for some years. Cerasi uses the resources of this harpsichord so capably that there is never a question of the music fitting the instrument: it does. The opening Sonata in e minor W65/H13 can also be heard on clavichord on Miklós Spányi's second CD (BIS-CD879): it is an interesting comparison that shows the strengths of both instruments (and performers).
We know Emanuel played the fortepiano: he couldn't escape it, as Frederick the Great owned a number of Silbermann's instruments. Of it, he wrote:
The more recent pianoforte, when it is sturdy and well built, has many fine qualities, although its touch must be carefully worked out, a task which is not without difficulties. It sounds well by itself and in small ensembles.Cerasi plays on a very nice copy of a Walter fortepiano: a bit later and more refined than the Silbermann fortepianos Emanuel would have played. Dare I speculate that had the Walters been available at the time, Emanuel would have warmed up to the fortepiano even more? I find that a good fortepiano has a fullness of tone that projects much of the music of Emanuel very nicely. And, it seems to me that Cerasi has special affinity to the fortepiano on two of the recordings she has recorded: the de Nebra and this one.
This is an attractive and elegant recording, a nice complement to my almost-too-many clavichord recordings. It is a nice selection of off-the-beaten-path works. It is nice to hear another perspective on Emanuel's music, both in sound an performer, and I can only hope that more people will come acquire the taste and to savor it, as I do. It is worth remembering that up until the great Sebastian Bach revival in the 19th century, a reference to "Bach" mean to Emanuel.
