Introduction

This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book demonstrates that international research on early keyboard repertoires around and after 1600, mainly French and Italian, which Kenneth Gilbert championed. It discusses important aspects of French harpsichord music at the forefront of the revival: harpsichord sources and harpsichord instruction. The book focuses on the minute process of reconstructing a German organ installed in Stockholm in 1609 and reinstalled in Overtornea in the eighteenth century. It describes the practical and pedagogical aspects of maintaining a collection of historical keyboards in playing condition in modern-day London. The book also discusses transformations in early Italian keyboard and lute performance, reception, and sources, with a special focus on the toccata as a vehicle of innovation and poetic expression.