Research and Publications
Current Research Work
Harpsichord (Pleyel) in Belvedere, California.
My primary research relates to contemporary harpsichord repertoire and performers active during the modern revival of the instrument. Recent work has focussed on the history of the harpsichord in 1950s/1960s film soundtracks along with other articles on the role of the harpsichord in 1960s popular music. My research has a particular focus on modern reproduction (or 'revival') instruments that were being developed at the start of the early music revival. As a recording artist, I have released a series of critically acclaimed orchestral and solo contemporary harpsichord music, in a series described by Gramophone Magazine as "pioneering". These recordings are a product of my research into historically authentic performance practices on modern instruments. I am especially interested in occasions when the harpsichord managed to totally disassociate itself from its own historic past in terms of both contemporary music making and popular culture.
My doctoral work was funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council and the National Trust and was focused on post-1930s British harpsichord compositions and performers and is outlined in an article from Early Music Today here. This work can be heard in several albums released by Naxos Records - including music on a Pleyel harpsichord that can be heard in several recordings; Vincent Persichetti - Harpsichord Music (2017), British Harpsichord Music (2016), and 20th Century Harpsichord Music (2015).
Some listening examples of modern or revival styled harpsichords can be found at my revival harpsichord page.
My doctoral work was funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council and the National Trust and was focused on post-1930s British harpsichord compositions and performers and is outlined in an article from Early Music Today here. This work can be heard in several albums released by Naxos Records - including music on a Pleyel harpsichord that can be heard in several recordings; Vincent Persichetti - Harpsichord Music (2017), British Harpsichord Music (2016), and 20th Century Harpsichord Music (2015).
Some listening examples of modern or revival styled harpsichords can be found at my revival harpsichord page.
Published (& forthcoming) Works by Author Include:
Written Works -
As Guest Editor (April 2021), British Harpsichord Society Journal Sounding Board, Issue No. 16,
Our thanks to Dr Christopher Lewis for agreeing to be our Guest Editor for this edition, especially at such a difficult time when the demands of University teaching became even more complex and time consuming. Indeed, it has been a challenging year for all musicians but ever resourceful, they have found creative ways to overcome the problems imposed by the Covid restrictions. Our thanks too to all our contributors who share with us such fascinating accounts of their musical activities during lock-down. We also include a tribute to John Henry, a much-loved musician, blind from birth, but never daunted by the many life-long difficulties he faced. We thank Nicholas Lane and Peter Bavington, for compiling this moving tribute. Symbolic of the times, is the absence of a report about our usual activities at Handel & Hendrix in London, as elsewhere, all our planned live recitals had to be cancelled. On a more hopeful note, we do include several announcements about conferences, summer schools, competitions and various other musical activities, planned to take place during the coming months, either in-person or via video link up. Meanwhile we hope you enjoy and are inspired by these interesting accounts written specially for this sixteenth Edition of Sounding Board. Read the article here.
'The Challenges of a Modern Recording on a Pleyel Harpsichord', Harpsichord & Fortepiano, Volume 25, No. 1 (Autumn, 2020): 15-20.
This article outlines some of the challenges of producing a modern series of recording of twentieth-century harpsichord music, recorded on a Pleyel harpsichord. This instrument made famous through the pioneering recordings and performances by harpsichordist Wanda Landowska (1879 - 1959) and the article considers how modern legacy of Landowska and her Pleyel instrument. Read the article here.
'The Harpsichord in Twentieth-Century Britain.' University of Southampton, Doctoral Thesis, 335pp.
This dissertation provides an overview of the history of the harpsichord in twentieth-century Britain. It takes as its starting point the history of the revival harpsichord in the early part of the century, how the instrument affected both performance of historic music and the composition of modern music and the factors that contributed to its decline. Information regarding British composers, performers, and individual works has been gathered together in a database. Analysis of this database allows the consideration of how the characteristics of the revival harpsichord shaped the use of the instrument throughout the century. More detailed case studies of the harpsichord works of three composers writing at different points in the century: Lennox Berkeley, Stephen Dodgson, and Michael Nyman are then plotted against this narrative. Conclusions will be drawn from analysis of the case studies and will consider how the harpsichord has moved away from its nostalgic associations, and how has it not.
'What is The Future of Classical Music?' Fanfare: Guild of Musicians and Singers, no. 50
(2019): 16-21.
A continuing article based on my 2019 Ted Talk, outlining the hopeful and optimistic digital future of classical music, through case studies of successful digital artists/groups helping set trends for developing wider and more diverse audiences to discover and engage with a broad range of different types of classical music.
'Mr Berkeley’s Toye' Lennox Berkeley Society Journal, No. 19 (2017): 14-17.
This article considers the early compositional history of Lennox Berkeley to the harpsichord. The article considers how Berkeley's time at Oxford inspired him to write a number of early compositions, which led to development of his work Suite for the Harpsichord (1930). An analysis of the composition is provided, along with a description of the author's experience of premiering the composition in 2017 at Mottisfont Abbey, Hampshire and the modern day significance of this early composition in the contemporary revival of the instrument.
Music Editions -
Suite for Harpsichord by Lennox Berkeley. Edited Christopher D. Lewis. London: Chester Music, 2017.
'Suite For The Harpsichord' (1930) is a work by Lennox Berkeley, written whilst he was based in Paris and studying under Nadia Boulanger. The suite is a wonderful example of a work for harpsichord written at the time of major revival for the instrument, as well as the new style of composition Berkeley was discovering. The work is edited by Christopher D. Lewis and lasts around 14 minutes. More information on the publication can be found here.
Podcasts/Videos -
'What Does the Future Hold for Classical Music?' TED Talk, 2019.
Harpsichordist and musicologist, Dr Christopher D. Lewis explores what the future might hold for classical music in his Tedx Talk. How has the Internet shaped how audiences discover and engage with the genre of classical music? How can classical music continue to devise ways of attracting a wider range of more diverse audiences, when the industry is facing so much competition and so many difficulties? What do we as audiences and consumers of music need to do, in order to help attract younger audiences to classical concerts and in what ways can we be truly innovative in our approaches to concert programming? Focusing on the positives, Dr Lewis will explore what progressive action is being taken by artists and classical music labels alike, to ensure that the genre remains relevant, and continues to thrive and survive in the twenty-first century - and beyond! Watch the talk online here.
Glissando Podcast: Episode 1.3, Christopher D. Lewis, Interview.
On episode 1.3 we talk to Welsh harpsichordist Christopher D. Lewis about his love for the instrument, and about his recordings on Naxos Records. His latest release of works is by Vincent Persichetti. The podcast is available online here.
Recording of Philip Glass' Harpsichord Concerto - West Side Chamber Orchestra, Mallon, Lewis
Last month, the West Side Chamber Orchestra, its founder Kathy Halvorson, its conductor Kevin Mallon, and contemporary harpsichordist Christopher D. Lewis kindly allowed us to be present for the final takes of an upcoming Naxos album. The video can be viewed online here.
Discography -
N.B., more information on all these recordings can be found on the discography page here.
Handsome Harpsichord (Poulenc), Naxos Records: 2020, Christopher D. Lewis (harpsichord). Catalogue Number: Naxos 8.578184
While the keyboards of the piano and harpsichord are similar, their playing techniques are quite different. The strings of the harpsichord are plucked with a quill rather than struck with a hammer, so every nuance of phrasing is down to the subtle touch of the player. There is something special about hearing music on the instrument for which it was originally written, and this programme treats us to dances from England with Byrd and Purcell, Baroque masterpieces by Bach and Handel, and elaborate and descriptive French works by Couperin and Rameau, whose Les Sauvages was inspired by Native American chieftains who danced for King Louis XV. More information on the Naxos website here.
Vincent Persichetti - Harpsichord Music, Naxos Records: 2017, Christopher D. Lewis (Harpsichord). Catalogue Number: Naxos 8.559843
The contribution of the American composer, teacher and pianist Vincent Persichetti to the harpsichord repertoire is unique among 20th-century composers. He wrote a diverse selection of music, including an opera and nine symphonies, while his substantial output for harpsichord offers a vivid and rich variety of expression. The ingenious contrapuntal writing alludes to baroque ornamentation while remaining firmly rooted in the contemporary idiom. Lyrical passages and technical brilliance abound with vitality and inventiveness. More information on the Naxos website here.
British Harpsichord Music (Howells/Bryars/Berkeley/Jeffreys), Naxos Records: 2016, Christopher D. Lewis (Harpsichord). Catalogue Number: Naxos 8.573668
Many eminent 20th-century composers have been fascinated by the expressive capabilities of the harpsichord, and this selection unites the instrument’s traditional idioms with progressive and highly personal sensibilities. Sir Lennox Berkley’s music evinces a distinctive French influence, while Howell’s Clavichord is a series of musical portraits of the composer’s distinguished friends. Gavin Bryars has deep roots in the avant-garde, but After Handel’s “Vesper” is virtuosic yet expressive, while John Jeffreys’ Four Little English Dances are delightful tributes to the harpsichord’s lyricism. Christopher D. Lewis’s other Naxos harpsichord recordings of French music and works by Philip Glass are available on 8.573364 and 8.573146. More information on the Naxos website here.
20th Century Harpsichord Music (Poulenc/Françaix/Durey/Martinů), Naxos Records: 2015, Christopher D. Lewis (Harpsichord). Catalogue Number: Naxos 8.573364
One of the pioneers of the 20th-century resurrection of interest in the harpsichord was the great virtuoso Wanda Landowska who assisted in the development of a harpsichord built by Pleyel of Paris. Performing on a 1930s Pleyel harpsichord, Christopher Lewis has chosen a programme of 20th-century works by French or French-based composers. Poulenc’s colourful Suite Française is followed by Françaix’s exciting and previously unrecorded Deux Pièces. Martinů’s lyricism and intensity of expression can be heard in the Sonata and other pieces while Louis Durey’s piquant Dix Inventions is both a homage to Bach’s Two-Part Inventions and a work whose compositional technique is firmly rooted in the modern era. More information on the Naxos website here.
Harpsichord Concertos (Glass/Rutter/Françaix/Ohana), Naxos Records: 2013,
Christopher D. Lewis (Harpsichord). Catalogue Number: Naxos 8.573146
Attracted by a delightful fusion of early music sonorities with modern expressiveness, the three composers in this amazingly rich and varied programme build on the magnificent harpsichord concerto legacy of JS Bach. John Rutter’s beautiful Suite Antique is full of rich and haunting themes, with a significant solo flute part and a jazzy Waltz which is as much Brubeck as Bach. Philip Glass delivers an exciting experience of virtuoso instrumental blending and solo expressiveness, and with typical wit and elegance. Jean Françaix’s Concerto is terrific fun throughout. More information on the Naxos website here.
The New-Fangled Clavier (Bach, Glass, Einaudi) New Mix Music: 2010, Christopher D. Lewis (Harpsichord).
A collection of old and new music for harpsichord. More information on this publication available here.
Peer Reviewer -
Peer Reviewer for Journal of the Royal Musical Association, from 2019.
Peer Reviewer for Routledge Publications, from 2019.
Academic Appointments -
A complete list of taught H.E. module experience at both Undergraduate and Masters levels (Levels 4 - 7) can be found on my Linkedin.
March 2023- Present: School Director of Education (School of Creative & Digital Industries), Buckinghamshire New University
As Director of Education in the School of Creative and Digital Industries, I develop learning and teaching practice across all areas of the school curriculum. I lead strategic development of teaching enhancement and support colleagues in enhancing their pedagogy, through a critical reflection of the student learning journey in their specialist areas. The Director role occupies 0.8FTE of my contact, with 0.2FTE as Associate Professor, where duties include undertaking research-informed teaching. I develop university links with industry, employers, and professional bodies to enable research, teaching collaboration and knowledge exchange.
August 2021 - 203: Senior Lecturer in Music, University of Chester (Full-Time)
Courses taught on: BA (Hons) Music, BA (Hons) Popular Music Performance, BA (Hons) Music Production, BA (Hons) Dance, BA (Hons) Drama and Theatre Studies, BA (Hons) Performing Arts and MA Music courses.
January 2018 - July 2021: Lecturer in Music, University of Chester (Full-Time)
Courses taught on: BA (Hons) Music, BA (Hons) Popular Music Performance, BA (Hons) Music Production, BA (Hons) Dance, BA (Hons) Drama and Theatre Studies, BA (Hons) Performing Arts and MA Music courses.
August 2016 - January 2018: Associate Lecturer in Music, Solent University (Southampton)
Courses taught on: BA (Hons) Music Management and BA (Hons) Music Promotion, BA (Hons) Music Performance, BA (Hons) Music Performance and Production, BA (Hons) Music Journalism, BA (Hons) Digital Music, and BA (Hons) Music Production courses.
External Appointments -
Leeds Conservatoire - Academic Consultant (2022 - 2023)
University of Hull - Academic Consultant (2022 - 2023)
Trinity Laban Conservatoire - External Examiner (2021 - 2025)
University of Chichester - External Examiner (2021 - 2025)
Examples of recent appointments (PSRBS, validations, revalidations, new partnerships):
- BIMM Group (2021, 2022 & 2023)
- Teesside University (2022)
- University of Northampton (2021 & 2022)
- University of Lincoln (2021)
- Royal Marines School of Music (2021)
- Liverpool Media Academy (2021)
- University of Chichester (2021)
Membership of Professional and Learned Societies -
Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Authority (2023)
Associate Fellow of the National College of Music (2020)
Fellow of the Higher Education Authority (2018)
Member of the Royal Musical Association (2018)
Fellow of the Royal Society of the Arts (2018)
Honorary Fellow of the Guild of Musicians and Singers (2017)