E. Power Biggs Plays Handel - The 16 Concertos and More

E. Power Biggs was one of the most respected organists during his lifetime, especially because of his series of Bach Organ Favorites LPs for Columbia. But he also excelled on the pedal harpsichord, and this 1973 recording was likely the first made on the instrument of the music of ragtime pioneer Scott Joplin. In his detailed liner notes, Biggs explains that the harpsichord he used had an extra feature that enabled him to avoid its typically thin sound (since a normal instrument does not have a sustain pedal like a piano): three extra sets of bass strings, played with the feet just like an organ. With the debate still ongoing over a century after the birth of ragtime as to whether or not it should be considered jazz, ragtime enthusiasts will be delighted to hear Biggs' formidable transformation of ten of Joplin's rags to the pedal harpsichord. In addition to the well-known "Maple Leaf Rag" and "Elite Syncopations," the keyboardist's performances of less-familiar works like "Bink's Waltz" and "Peacherine Rag" revitalize this music. Although Biggs made other recordings on the pedal harpsichord for Columbia, this was evidently his only venture outside of classical music, for he died just four years after this LP was made.