On enSuite, harpsichord player Korneel Bernolet presents an anthology of European ‘compiled’ sonatas in the form of or derived from suites, alongside contrasting compositions that sought the true sonata form.

He plays the Joannes Daniel Dulcken magisterial 1747 single-keyboard harpsichord, whose ambassador and titular player he is.

The 18th century had a dynamic musical scene in which much experimentation went alongside respect for accepted traditions.

A wide range of hybrid forms emerged in the wake of the French dance suite and the new Italian solo sonata: not only sonatas with divergent forms and suites in which French character titles suddenly gave way to Italian tempo indications, but also everything in between.

Korneel Bernolet, Harpsichord