THE CLAVICHORD Bernard Brauchli Cambridge University Press, 1998 ISBN: 0521 63067 3 £70.00 US$120.00

Few monographs devoted to keyboard instruments make reference to the clavichord, other than to perhaps mention that it was reported as the favourite instrument of JS Bach. But the clavichord has a rich and varied history that is possibly only pre-dated by the organ. Its first incarnation, as a monochord, quickly developed into the more familiar keyed instrument of the Renaissance and Baroque; despite the growing popularity of the piano and the harpsichord's subsequent decline during the Classical period, it remained in parts of Europe a popular domestic instrument.

Bernard Brauchli is a renowned authority on keyboard instruments. In this first book devoted solely to the clavichord, he traces its history through a wide variety of source material from its early incarnation as the monochord through to its final demise during the first quarter of the nineteenth century. Since no instruments that predate 1540 are extant, its early history has to be approached through iconographical references and surviving documentation. To some, this would be a near-impossible task since much relies on supposition, which can lead easily to wild theories that are neither possible to substantiate nor easy to disprove. This is where Brauchli's obviously extensive knowledge comes into its own, since, using appropriately-chosen source material, he has managed to provide convincing descriptions of these early instruments in a sensible and authoritative manner.

Later sections of the book deal with the instrument's more recent history. Again Brauchli looks to extant source material such as Praetorius, Mersenne and Nassare, combining these with closely-made observations of existing instruments. No references are second-hand, since Brauchli has gone to original source material and has examined these in light of his own experiences as an organologist and performer. Although his observations of seventeenth-century clavichords, in particular Italian ones, are illuminating, there remains one drawback when discussing the music that was playable on early fretted instruments. Fretting has the disadvantage of lessening the scope for the performance of chromatic music, which, being particularly prevalent in Italian music of the early Baroque, has led Brauchli to dismiss a whole series of composers. I still remain to be convinced by his argument since most early keyboard music was playable on any keyboard instrument. For example, there are a number of pieces in Frescobaldi's Toccate e Partite… Libro Primo (1615) that in fact seem specifically geared towards allowing their performance on the clavichord, despite the title page's designation of per cimbalo: certain clashes in chains of suspensions and discords are purposely avoided to ensure that adjacent notes which share the same strings do not coincide.

The eighteenth century music must be regarded as the 'Golden Age' of the clavichord, an era when not only were the finest instruments built, but when composers wrote works specifically with the clavichord in mind. Although this is the longest section of the book, it also proves to be the least satisfying. Brauchli fails to provide adequate information concerning the so-called 'Classical' period, and although conceding that the sonatas of Haydn, Mozart and early Beethoven are ideally suited to the instrument, he fails to provide adequate evidence for this. Haydn's earlier sonatas, for example, demand an expressive keyboard in a period that predates the invention of the South German piano; similarly, that there is no record of the Esterháza family having owned at that time anything other than a clavichord or a harpsichord is significant. There is also a vast quantity of internal evidence that Brauchli fails to consider; portamenti markings in Haydn's early sonatas and over-specific performance directions in Beethoven's are particularly significant and, as such, should not be overlooked as evidentiary sources.

Few volumes devoted to the history of early keyboard instruments dare to attempt a discourse on performance practice since it is a contentious area at the best of times. When considering the popularity of the clavichord, surprisingly little written information exists. Again this can lead to speculation, but Brauchli handles the subject deftly, supporting his observations by combining some intriguing iconographical evidence with his considerable practical knowledge as a performer.

Overall, this important and illuminating volume presents a vast quantity of information in a modern source for the first time. As a reference book, its value is equal to that of Raymond Russell's The Harpsichord and Clavichord and Frank Hubbard's Three Centuries of Harpsichord Making, making this an essential resource for any student of early keyboard music.

John Woodford