# Who are the best pre-Bach and Scarlatti keyboard composers?



## clavichorder

How would you rank them? 

My favorites I've heard so far are Byrd, Frescobaldi, F. Couperin, and Buxtehude. I also like Froberger a lot.

There's also Sweelinck, Gibbons, Bull, and Lully. Who else was big on keyboard?


----------



## Ukko

clavichorder said:


> How would you rank them?
> 
> My favorites I've heard so far are Byrd, Frescobaldi, F. Couperin, and Buxtehude. I also like Froberger a lot.
> 
> There's also Sweelinck, Gibbons, Bull, and Lully. Who else was big on keyboard?


Sweelinck's music is very appealing. And of course there is Cabanilles.


----------



## Klavierspieler

Anonymous.


----------



## Il_Penseroso

I love Rameau personally, but think Matthias Weckmann and Georg Muffat would be also good choices to try.


----------



## clavichorder

Ah, another one is Kuhnau!


----------



## Selby

Any thoughts on good recordings of early keyboard music? Sweelinck, Buxtehude, and Byrd in particular?


----------



## Mandryka

Selby said:


> Any thoughts on good recordings of early keyboard music? Sweelinck, Buxtehude, and Byrd in particular?


Sweelinck - Harald Vogel, Glen Wilson, Gustav Leonhardt, Peter Ella, Anneke Uittenbosch, Serge Schoonbroodt

Buxtehude - Vogel, Walter Kraft, Mortensen, Glen Wilson, Rübsam (naxos), Alessandrini.

Byrd - Leonhardt, Moroney (second recording), Hakkinen, Glen Wilson, Laurent Stewart

I haven't had the chance to hear Leon Berben's Sweelinck. Neither have I heard Noel Spieth's - which could well be excellent.

I've probably overrecommended Buxtehude's harpsichord music, which is less interesting than his organ music I think. Any one of the three would probably do for all but really serious collectors.


----------



## Mandryka

Ukko said:


> And of course there is Cabanilles.


I've not had much luck with him - all the performances I've heard make him sound like a writer of bravura music, not bery deep. But I've only heard two - Montserrat Torrent and John Butt. For anyone intetested in Hispanic music, I much prefer Arauxo and Cabezon.


----------



## Mandryka

clavichorder said:


> How would you rank them?
> 
> My favorites I've heard so far are Byrd, Frescobaldi, F. Couperin, and Buxtehude. I also like Froberger a lot.
> 
> There's also Sweelinck, Gibbons, Bull, and Lully. Who else was big on keyboard?


What keyboard music by Lully are you thinking of? D'Anglebert's transcriptions?


----------



## Albert7

Rameau, both Couperins, and Byrd and Gibbons are my favorites!


----------

