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Fitzwilliam Virginal Book, selections performed on 1642 virginal by Hogwood, 24 bit/44 1 kHz

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This is a 24-bit/44.1 kHz transcription using high-end analog equipment of performances by Christopher Hogwood of a selection of pieces from the Fitzwilliam Virginal Book--one of the major collections of English keyboard music from the 16th and 17th centuries. These performances were produced by Peter Wadland, engineered by John Dunkerley and John Pellowe, and released as a 2LP set on Editions de L'Oiseau-Lyre (D261D2) in 1982. They have not to my knowledge ever been released on CD.

Hogwood performs these works on four keyboard instruments of special historical interest:

A double virginal made by Thomas White in 1642.
A positive organ kept in Knole House in Kent since its making circa 1608.
An anonymous Italian harpsichord made in the 16th century.
An Italian spinet made by Marco Jadra in 1568.

The virginal and spinet are from the collections of the Victoria & Albert Museum in London. The harpsichord is from the collections of the Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge.

These are among the best recordings of historic keyboard instruments I have ever heard. They are relatively close-mic'd in a moderately resonant space, and in each case bring out the finer details as well as the overall sound of the instruments very nicely. The LPs from which these recordings were transcribed are in exemplary condition.

This torrent includes all of the works performed on the virginal. Works performed on the other instruments will be uploaded in three other torrents in the coming days. All four torrents include a PDF file with scans of the back cover of the LP and the notes included in a booklet with the LP.

I have also transcribed a track from the Penguin Café Orchestra's first LP (Music from the Penguin Café), which is the form in which I first heard "Giles Farnaby's Dreame" from track 2 in this collection. The CD reissue of this LP as well as other excellent CDs by the Penguin Café Orchestra are available commercially.

I have recently uploaded several other 24-bit LP transcriptions of comparable quality, and will be doing more in the near future. You can find them by clicking on my user id.

Equipment used for A/D conversion: Lyra Helikon phono cartridge, Linn LP12/Lingo turntable, Linn Ittok tonearm, Audioquest LeoPard tonearm cable, PS Audio PS2 preamplifier, Kimber PBJ interconnect, M-Audio Audiophile USB A/D converter.

Virginal 1 - Side 2, tracks 1-2 (Martin Peerson, Giles Farnaby) [10:11]
Virginal 2 - Side 2, tracks 5-7 (John Munday, anon., Giles Farnaby) [10:50]
Virginal 3 - Side 3, tracks 1-2 (William Byrd) [9:29]
Virginal 4 - Side 3, track 5 (Peter Philips) [8:56]
Penguin Café Orchestra, Giles Farnaby's Dream [2:20]

NOTE: To the best of my knowledge, this recording is not currently available commercially. If you know otherwise, please let me know ASAP, as I do not wish any artists to be deprived of the royalties that they so richly deserve.

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