Concertino for Harpsichord and String Orchestra is a short

harpsichord A harpsichord is a musical instrument played by means of a musical keyboard, keyboard. Depressing a key raises its back end within the instrument, which in turn raises a mechanism with a small plectrum made from quill or plastic that plucks one ...

concerto A concerto (; plural ''concertos'', or ''concerti'' from the Italian plural) is, from the late Baroque era, mostly understood as an instrumental composition, written for one or more soloists accompanied by an orchestra or other ensemble. The ...

written in 1934 by

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Culture, language and peoples * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England * ''English'', an Amish ter ...

composer

Walter Leigh Walter Leigh (22 June 190512 June 1942) was an English composer. Leigh is best known for his Concertino for harpsichord and string orchestra, written in 1934. Other famous works include the overture ''Agincourt'' and ''The Frogs of Aristophanes ...

. It was premiered by the English composer and pianist

Elizabeth Poston Elizabeth Poston (24 October 1905 – 18 March 1987) was an English composer, pianist and writer. Early life and career Poston was born in Highfield House in Pin Green, which is now the site of Hampson Park in Stevenage. In 1914 she moved wi ...

. Movements: #Allegro #Andante #Allegro vivace In the first movement, a lively dialogue between soloist and orchestra culminates in a barred

cadenza In music, a cadenza, (from , meaning cadence; plural, ''cadenze'' ) is, generically, an improvised or written-out ornamental passage played or sung by a soloist(s), usually in a "free" rhythmic style, and often allowing virtuosic display ...

for the harpsichord, followed by a repeat of the opening statement. The ''Andante'' is a arabandelike movement, in ABA form. The ten-bar theme stated by the soloist is repeated by the orchestra. In the B section, elements from the first theme are reassembled into new motives. The first theme is shared between

cello The violoncello ( , ), commonly abbreviated as cello ( ), is a middle pitched bowed (sometimes pizzicato, plucked and occasionally col legno, hit) string instrument of the violin family. Its four strings are usually intonation (music), tuned i ...

s and

violin The violin, sometimes referred to as a fiddle, is a wooden chordophone, and is the smallest, and thus highest-pitched instrument (soprano) in regular use in the violin family. Smaller violin-type instruments exist, including the violino picc ...

s on its return, with the harpsichord playing accompanying

arpeggio An arpeggio () is a type of Chord (music), chord in which the Musical note, notes that compose a chord are individually sounded in a progressive rising or descending order. Arpeggios on keyboard instruments may be called rolled chords. Arpe ...

s. The last movement is in 6/8 and abounds in cross-rhythms; a number of short themes succeed each other rapidly. A short cadenza leads to a reprise incorporating themes from all three of the movements.

Piano A piano is a keyboard instrument that produces sound when its keys are depressed, activating an Action (music), action mechanism where hammers strike String (music), strings. Modern pianos have a row of 88 black and white keys, tuned to a c ...

has occasionally replaced harpsichord in performance, owing to the relative obscurity of the harpsichord at the time of composition, and the economic demands of publishing. It has been recorded by

Trevor Pinnock Trevor David Pinnock (born 16 December 1946 in Canterbury, England) is a British harpsichordist and conductor. He is best known for his association with the period-performance orchestra The English Concert, which he helped found and direct ...

on Lyrita; George Malcolm on BBC radio classics;

Colin Tilney Colin Graham Tilney (31 October 1933 – 17 December 2024) was a British-Canadian harpsichordist, fortepianist and teacher. He is well known for his historically-informed approach to performance practice, performing on original or copied ins ...

on CBC; Neville Dilkes on EMI; Anna Paradiso on Barn Cottage Records (2012). A 1940s English

Decca Records Decca Records is a British record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis (Decca), Edward Lewis after his acquisition of a gramophone manufacturer, The Decca Gramophone Company. It set up an American subsidiary under the Decca name, which bec ...

recording of

Kathleen Long Kathleen "Ida" Long CBE (7 July 189620 March 1968) was an English pianist and teacher. Early life Long was born in Brentford, a suburb of London in the UK. Her early instruction in music, which began aged six, was with her aunt, Miss J. E. Long. ...

in the piano version has achieved

compact disc The compact disc (CD) is a Digital media, digital optical disc data storage format co-developed by Philips and Sony to store and play digital audio recordings. It employs the Compact Disc Digital Audio (CD-DA) standard and was capable of hol ...

rerelease on the Dutton label.Culot, Hubert, Review of ''Walter Leigh: Complete Chamber Works'' (Dutton Epoch CDLX 7143) on MusicWeb International, accessed August 31, 2009
/ref> Length: c. 9 minutes. It is published by

Oxford University Press Oxford University Press (OUP) is the publishing house of the University of Oxford. It is the largest university press in the world. Its first book was printed in Oxford in 1478, with the Press officially granted the legal right to print books ...

References

{{Authority control

Leigh Leigh may refer to: Places In England Pronounced : * Leigh, Greater Manchester, Borough of Wigan ** Leigh (UK Parliament constituency) * Leigh-on-Sea, Essex Pronounced : * Leigh, Dorset * Leigh, Gloucestershire * Leigh, Kent * Leigh, Staffor ...

20th-century classical music 1934 compositions Compositions by Walter Leigh