Virtual Vincenzo

Vincenzo Sodi harpsichord (1782)
Royal Albert Memorial Museum, Exeter, Devon UK

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Virtual Vincenzo project:
A project dedicated to the preservation, digital restoration and future exhibition of this unique harpsichord built in 1782 by Vincenzo Sodi.

In 1975 Decca made a vinyl recording of a collection of Scarlatti’s sonatas. These pieces were played on a harpsichord constructed by Vincenzo Sodi in 1782. The instrument was chosen for its highly individual timbre and fine construction.

The harpsichord is currently kept in the basement of The Royal Albert Memorial Museum in Exeter, un-playable and currently not on show to the public.

Sound Gallery have digitally recorded all the working notes from the harpsichord and have re-created the entire keyboard (or at least an approximation of it) with the aid of computer and MIDI technology. In this way the sampled notes can be transferred to a MIDI controlled master keyboard and then played and preserved.

In 2005 Sound Gallery exhibited the work they had done and unveiled the virtual instrument along with images of the original harpsichord and notes on construction.

There was a multi-media performance held at Exeter Phoenix entitled 'New works For Lost Voices,' featuring the digitally re-constructed instrument, and new commissions were played to an enthralled audience. This performance featured Hillary Boxer, David Cottam, Richard Langham Smith, SWANSTON and new arrangements and compositions by M.C Peters (GRICE) ,Tim Boxer and Steve Clarke (NTropic) and two films created by Verity Healy (Slowdive)

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