ABSTRACT
This chapter is a rather balanced and thoughtful approach—at least in scholarly documents—where inquiry into the nature of old instruments was fuelled by an interest in how to better understand and serve baroque music. When the available recordings are examined against the written documents outlined above, the observations must go beyond the sorting of performances into modern versus period instrument versions. The trends in scholarly views are reflected in sound recordings: after the 1960s, the use of the harpsichord became rare; yet more recently it seems to have made a comeback. One of the debated issues regarding the performance style of the continuo accompaniment in narrative recitatives was whether or not to hold each long note for its full written value. Summarizing the use of other instruments, it seems that the viola da gamba and the oboe d’amore were the most commonly employed baroque instruments.
