Joyce Chen – Singing and Chirping: Birdsongs and Harpsichord Performance Practice

Описание: The ninth of nine presentations in the Historical Keyboards conference organized by Western Early Keyboard Association and co-sponsored by Historical Keyboard Society of North America (HKSNA) as a 2025 HKSNA Regional Meeting, held at Reed College in Portland, Oregon on October 4, 2025.

For more about this conference and a printable program, see https://www.wekaweb.org/historical-ke...
Bio - https://www.joycechenmusic.com/biography

ABSTRACT - The concept of ‘mimesis,’ or representation, originates from ancient Greek philosophical thoughts, and is manifested in art and music. Plato insisted that musical mimesis was “not a mere imitation of sound” but has the “capacity to affect ethos.” In addition, Greek philosophers believed in the power of music to influence emotions, social behaviors, and morals. It is evident that Greek philosophers – such as Plato and Aristotle – highly valued the mimesis of nature, and this notion has influenced the arts, philosophy, music, and many other disciplines for generations until today. My lecture demonstration will highlight a few ways harpsichord performance practice will help music come alive by imitating the sounds and movements of birds in nature. In particular, I will discuss using tempo rubato, accelerated cadential figures, and stile brisé (the broken style). First, tempo rubato must be applied throughout Poglietti’s Rossignolo suite, as the score is descriptive and offers the performers liberty to be flexible with timing and pulse. In addition, (accelerating) cadential figures can be added to imitate the ‘chirping’ gesture in F. Couperin’s ‘Le Rossignol-en-amour’ from the 14th Ordre. Lastly, stile brisé/staggering technique can be used for almost any piece to imitate either movement between birds, the echoes of the birdsongs, or a combination of both.
Introduction 00:00
Alessandro Poglietti (1600c-1683)
-----Capriccio per Io Rossignol Sopra’l Ricercar 05:34
-----Imitatione del medesimo Uccello 06:31
François Couperin (1668 – 1733)
-----Le Rossignol-en-Amour 16:03
-----Les Fauvétes plaintives 20:01
Jean-Philippe Rameau (1683-1764)
-----Le Rappel des Oiseaux 24:45

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