Submitted by Event Organizer

Obbligato harpsichord and flute features renowned Chicago harpsichordist David Schrader with flutist Jeffrey Cohan playing 18th-century music for harpsichord with flute on Saturday, April 1 at 12:30 p.m. at Grace Episcopal Church. Special guest Chicago harpsichordist, organist and pianist David Schrader has performed as the featured soloist with the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra under Neeme Järvi, with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Sir Georg Solti, Claudio Abbado, Daniel Barenboim, Pierre Boulez and Erich Leinsdorf, and with many other orchestras and for music festivals in Europe and throughout the USA and Canada.

Works for obbligato harpsichord with flute by Johann Sebastian Bach, Joseph Bodin de Boismortier, CarlPhilipp Emanuel Bach, Georg Philipp Telemann and Georg Benda will be performed. In addition David Schrader will perform works for solo harpsichord by Domenico Scarlatti and Johann Sebastian Bach.

In the 18th century, the harpsichordist accompanying a flutist or other solo instrumentalist generally played from a single bass line for the left hand while the right hand improvised to the harmonies. Johann Sebastian Bach was the first to compose music for harpsichord with another soloist in which the so-called “obbligato” keyboard part is fully written out for both hands, often with a distinct melody in each of the harpsichordist’s hands, forming a trio with the flute.