Colin Tilney

Musician Colin Tilney's expertise on various early keyboard instruments was reflected in his recordings and in the variety of music they cover. A survivor of the first generation of musicians who brought the idea of historically informed performance to the general concertgoer's consciousness, he remained remarkably active even late in life. Born in London on October 31, 1933, Tilney studied music and languages at Cambridge and then sought out harpsichord lessons with several teachers, the historical keyboard pioneer Gustav Leonhardt among them. He began performing and recording, at first mostly in ensembles devoted to English music, in the early '60s. His U.S. debut came in 1971. In 1979, Tilney began teaching at the University of Toronto and at Toronto's Royal Conservatory of Music, during which time he edited several printed collections of specialized Baroque repertoire, including The Art of the Unmeasured Prelude (1991). He formed his own chamber ensemble, Les Coucous Bénévoles, in 1995. Among his early recordings was an appearance on the Columbia Records recording of Stravinsky's The Rake's Progress, conducted by the composer. Tilney remained an unusually active survivor of the first-generation of musicians who brought the idea of historically informed performance to the general concertgoer's consciousness. His repertory stretched from the 16th century to the late 18th centuries, and he played the fortepiano, the virginal, and even an occasional continuo organ in addition to his main instrument, the harpsichord. He often attempted to match specific instruments with appropriate repertoire. He made an acclaimed recording of Bach's Well-Tempered Clavier and recorded the complete keyboard works of Matthew Locke. A good example of Tilney's work on disc is the 1996 album Scarlatti High and Low, which presented Domenico Scarlatti harpsichord sonatas that lay at the extremes of the instrument's range. Here and elsewhere, Tilney not only presented unusual music engagingly but also embodied expertise on the historical development of keyboard instruments. His interests also extended to contemporary music, and he commissioned works for harpsichord from various Canadian composers and from the British serialist Elisabeth Lutyens. In 2002, Tilney relocated to Victoria, British Columbia, where he was an adjunct professor of harpsichord performance at the University of Victoria and served as the resident harpsichordist for the Victoria Symphony. He recorded consistently for various labels, including Doremi, Music & Arts, and Dorian, and his pace barely slowed as he approached his tenth decade; in 2022, he recorded the album Two Voices: The Music of Girolamo Frescobaldi for the Marquis label. The album was issued in 2023, by which time his recording catalog comprised some 85 digital releases, plus others from the LP era. A year later, Tilney died at age 91, in Victoria. ~ James Manheim, Rovi