Lunchtime Concert
Time: 1.00pm
Location: Auckland City Library
Katharine & Peter present a recital of Purcell's music as part of the Auckland City Library Heritage concert series.
The Purcell Harpsichord Master and Masterful Melodies
One of the treasures of the Auckland City Library collection is the only known copy of The Harpsichord Master, an early form of music tutor book for “learners on the Spinnet or Harpsichord” dating from 1697. Music by Henry Purcell, Jeremiah Clark and various other composers of the period is included in this fascinating little book. Much of the keyboard music in the collection is arrangements of airs from contemporary operas and popular songs.
Peter Watts (harpsichord) and Katharine Watts (soprano) explore the music of the book. They look into the origins of the music found in it and explain how it came to be one of the treasures of the Auckland City Library collection. The concert will feature a complete performance of all the music in The Harpsichord Master, together with some of the original works from which the pieces derived.
This promises to be a fascinating exploration of one of the library’s great taonga.