Hi all,

My choirs are going to be combining this Easter to perform selections
from Messiah. I have written a while back with other questions and
greatly appreciate the feedback I received.

My question relates to the harpsichord score. We are performing with 66
voices (no professionals, just average folks), tenor and mezzo soloists,
organ, harpsichord, 2 trumpets, and timp. The organist and the soloists
are superb. The harpsichordist is my wife - she's an excellent
keyboardist.

My qustion - not to be too basic... what notes should the harpsichord
play? We are essentially doing an organ-only instrumentation. The
choir, she, and I are using the newest Watkins-Shaw, which I know has a
carefully-prepared keyboard (organ) part. The organist is playing from
Peters, I think, and he's played it many times.

I assume the harpsichord shouldn't play every note that's on the page?
Should she play... mostly downbeats? half the notes? occasional rolled
chords? Here is the list of what we're doing:

2 - Comfort ye
3 - Ev'ry valley
4 - And the glory of the Lord - chorus
8 - Behold, a virgin shall conceive
9 - O thou that tellest - alto and chorus
20 - He shall feed his flock
22 - Behold the Lamb of God - chorus
23 - He was despised
24 - Surely He hath bourne our griefs - chorus
29 - Thy rebuke hath broken His heart
30 - Behold and see
31 - He was cut off
32 - But Thou didst not leave His soul in hell
45 - I know that my Redeemer liveth
46 - Since by man came death - chorus
53 - Worthy is the Lamb - chours
44 - Hallelujah - chorus

I would really like to be able to spell out in detail what my wife is to
play, since she doesn't feel comfortable improvising (and that kind of
improv takes experience to do tastefully). I am very familiar with a
variety of good Messiah recordings, but they all use orchestra of course -
so I don't know that I should copy exactly what the harpsichord does in
those recordings.

Any specific direction would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks!
Dan Kreider

Music Director
Trinity Baptist Church
300 Trinity Dr.
Williston, VT
(802) 878-8118 ext. 23
email: kreider[at]tbcvt.com

Dan Kreider
kreider(a)tbcvt.com