Search - Oliver Baumont, William Selby, Alexander Reinagle :: Enlightenment in the New World: American Harpsichord Music

Eighteenth-century American harpsichord music isn't something you hear everyday, but the delightful sounds of Enlightenment in the New World can be appreciated by any keyboard lover. Using a French harpsichord built in 1774, Olivier Baumont performs lively (not to mention "enlightened") works by seldom-heard composers William Selby, Alexander Reinagle, Victor Pelissier, someone named simply Mr. Newman, and a few others. There's nothing monumental here--James Hewitt's "Yankee Doodle with 9 Variations" may be too silly to fully appreciate--but the playing is exquisite and there are some great discoveries. European roots can be heard all over these works--Reinagle's "Lee Rig" is a lyrical arrangement of a Scottish jig, Pelissier's work is a hornpipe dance--as composers struggled to find their own voice and national identity. Hewitt's 10-minute-long "The Battle of Trenton," where Baumont's keyboard and a narrator recount one of General Washington's most famous battles, closes out this disc. For those who love the sound of a harpsichord but have grown tired of hearing the same baroque repertoire, this disc is a real find. --Jason Verlinde