Partitas

In the Christ Church in Jerusalem; the harpsichordist David Shemer - one of the leading figures of the Early Music scene in his home country Israel - has done a full recording of this work which is now available on a 2-CD. The instrument used in this recording - a 2001 harpsichord of Franco-Flemish type by Martin Skowroneck of Bremen - is tuned to a' = 392 Hz (a whole step below the "modern" a'). This pitch; one of the several that were practiced in Bach's day; gives the instrument a particularly dark; mellow sound. For each Partita; a specific tuning system has been chosen; each system best suited to the key and character of a particular piece.