Suites, Lessons & Pieces for the Harpsichord, Vol. 2: Other Keyboard, Collections, Book

Purcell's keyboard writing sits at a sweet spot for advancing students: substantial enough to demand real musicianship, yet more accessible than the keyboard output of his Continental contemporaries. The mix of dance-based suites, character pieces, and standalone movements gives you programming flexibility without requiring performers to commit to marathon multi-movement works. William Barclay Squire's edition preserves the music's integrity while making it genuinely playable on modern instruments.

Purcell's keyboard works have an immediacy and directness that contrasts with the elaborate counterpoint of his larger works. These pieces feel intimate without being precious, employing clear textures, dance-rhythms, and memorable melodic ideas that sit naturally under the hands. The music balances formal architecture with genuine lyricism.

Intermediate to advanced harpsichordists working toward a more complete understanding of Baroque keyboard idiom, and pianists comfortable with period style who want to add English Baroque material to their repertoire. This collection also serves teachers building a curriculum around keyboard music from the Restoration era.

• Approach ornamentation with period awareness. Purcell's notation is spare by Baroque standards; consult scholarly editions or period recordings to understand where and how to add graces without overwhelming the line.
• Shape the basso continuo line with intention. Even in solo keyboard music, the left hand carries harmonic and structural weight; it should never feel like filler beneath the melody.
• Let the dance rhythms breathe. Minuets and gavottes have natural phrasing built into their meter; resist the urge to smooth over the slight accents that give these forms their character.
• Balance clarity with warmth in the Trumpet Tunes. These pieces are marked by bright figuration and forward motion, but they gain dignity when played with tonal color rather than mechanical precision.

Program Volume 2 alongside vocal or instrumental chamber works to show Purcell's stylistic range across genres, or present a suite from this collection as a solo keyboard work in a Baroque-era concert. The shorter pieces (Trumpet Tune, Air, Lesson) work as recital openers or fillers, while the suites provide substantial material for a student recital or a themed program exploring 17th-century keyboard forms.

• Baroque ornamentation and articulation in the English style
• Suite form and the structure of dance movements (Almand, Corant, Saraband, Gigue)
• Figured bass realization and harmonic thinking
• Period-appropriate phrasing and rubato
• Hand independence in two-voice counterpoint
• Stylistic interpretation of character pieces and genre forms