interview GUSTAV LEONHARDT

Dear members,

Who wouldn't be obliged most profoundly and gratefully to Gustav Leonhardt,
ingenious erratic block carrying the very soul and spirit of ancient music
into the 20th and 21st century??

To whom else would I owe, in the first instance, the success of a
decade's endeavours and efforts to reconstitute "wohltemperirt", than
to - Gustav Leonhardt?

In 1965/66 a befriended mathematician of ours, organist and Cantor,
Horst Bauer, Darmstadt, offered us the first LPs of the English Virginalists
Gustav Leonhardt had recorded.

It was at that moment I heard for the first time on the harpsichord UNEQUAL
temperaments!!! This I experienced as sort of big bang. The harpsichord, an
instrument that had always been fascinating me, but left me in an inexplicable
way somewhat dissatisfied. But this irritation, these doubts vanished
instantaneously when listening to Gustav Leonhardt's interpretations of the
English Virginalists in mean tone.

In my enthusiasm I immediately learned harpsichord tuning in '65/66
and started playing a lot of music out of Fitzwilliam's Virginal book.
Also, by intuition, and predilection, on the harpsichord from 1968
onwards, the Four Duets of Clavier�bung III - as an incorrigible
mathematician. From 1965 to 1975 I was thinking a lot about organology:
harpsichord building; I assembled a guitar( yes, sort of harpsichord
without keyboard!) and three harpsichords, one Flemish and two Italians.
Finally, in December 1975, after 10 years devoted to thinking about
that question, I could specify and I defined "wohltemperirt/Bach". I
wrote my instructions towards harpsichord tuning, taking advantage -
though as a physicist - of my good, and above all, my bad experiences
in that field.
Knowing Gustav Leonhardt, I can hardly believe that he ever performed
for an audience of our century in "Das wohltenperirte Clavier I"
throughout, in public performance. In our present times there exist
valid arguments from refraining doing so. However, I had been
literally living, thriving, through some years from
Gustav Leonhardt's recording of "Das wohltemperirte Clavier II".

What Gustav Leonhardt was aiming at in his unsurpassed recordings -
as I feel and believe, is the most appropriate and satisfactory
sounding at and for our times of "Das wohltemperirte Clavier";
retuning for the different pieces whereever this serves his purpose
and musical ideals. And he always brilliantly succeeded.
Hearing his interpretation, I see no point in insisting dogmatically on any
specific musical temperament for his playing of Das wohltemperirte Clavier.

Also, in Paris I had the chance to listen to Andras Schiff playing the
entire WTC II throughout, in a mammuth-recital with two breaks. This
as well I found excellent and passionating - to my taste and appeciation of
Das wohltemperirte Clavier. Although a small percentage of the public turned
homewards or into a restaurant at the second pause!! Just think of
Friedrich Gulda's delicious piano-recording of WTC I and II! By the way,
with Gulda's interpretation of the complete resording of Beethoven's
sonatas I compare, measure and judge everything else.

Amongst my numerous musicological publications, I had promised and
dedicted to Gustav Leonhardt my article:
Kellner, H.A.: How Bach quantified his well-tempered tuning within the
Four Duets. English Harpsichord Magazine, Vol. 4, No. 2, 1986(87),
page 21-27.

In view of these pieces for organ/harpsichord, resistant to any explanation
and analysis throughout centuries, the resolution of that enigma I owe as
well - albeit indirectly, to Gustav Leonhardt.

To conclude, this appears as an appropriate occasion to express my
warmest and cordial thanks to our great teacher and master; whose
concerts, recitals on harpsichord organ and clavichord, as well as
his direction and conducting Bach's great works, have given
me an enormous musical and spiritual satisfaction and pleasure throughout
our years in Paris - and evereywhere else.

Herbert Anton Kellner