d’Anglebert: Harpsichord Pieces

Jean-Henry d'Anglebert dedicated his “Pièces de clavecin” to a member of the Sun King's family, his beloved illegitimate daughter Maria Anna de Bourbon, known as “Mademoiselle de Blois,” a gifted harpsichordist. Three of the four suites in this collection begin with unmeasured preludes, which hark back to the tradition of short lute improvisations and served mainly to test the instrument. The preludes, clearly inspired by the toccatas of Frescobaldi and Froberger, introduce the key of the respective suite. They are followed by the main sequence of dance movements (Allemande, Courante, Sarabande and Gigue), some of which recur several times. Although d'Anglebert did not live long enough to enjoy the success of his collection (he died in 1691), by the early 18th century it had become a veritable bible for keyboard virtuosos and composers, including Johann Sebastian Bach, who learned the art of ornamentation from it. Jean-Philippe Rameau's “Pièces de clavecin” would not have been possible without d'Anglebert's suites. Ewa Mrowca graduated with distinction from the Academy of Music in Kraków and is an alumna of the Guildhall School of Music & Drama in London and the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis in Basel, and she specializes in early music. Her first solo album, featuring “Pieces de clavessin” by Jean Nicolas Geoffroy, received excellent reviews in Poland, Luxembourg, France and Germany and was nominated for the prestigious International Classical Music Awards 2013. Albums of music by Louis Marchand and Johann Sebastian Bach followed.