Le mani di Cecilia
Hand Position and Fingering on Keyboards in Italian Iconographical Sources of the Renaissance
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Abstract
- This paper presents the conclusions of an experimental study on fingering and hand position guided by Renaissance portraits of keyboard players as well as contemporary theoretical writings on keyboard technique. The author investigates the relationship between theoretical statements and representations in art, comparing and analyzing the different positions of fingers, hands and wrists in both type of sources. Particular attention is paid to a subject that began to appear in the first years of the 16th century and became fully fashionable from the beginning of the 17th century onwards: St. Cecilia at the keyboard. The representations of Cecilia dramatically increased after the ‘discovery’ of the saint’s body in 1599, and they offer a vast repository of images of keyboard players. The results of these investigations are presented in their practical application through images and videos recorded by Maria Luisa Baldassari and Augusta Campagne; the study finishes with a comprehensive reference guide that summarizes the rules for fingering and hand position of the most important treatises.
- Date Issued 2024
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Authors
Baldassari, Maria Luisa
- DOI 10.21939/harpsichord-16c-08
- Language en
- License CC-BY-4.0