Jesper Bøje Christensen (born 3 December 1944) is a Danish

harpsichordist A harpsichordist is a person who plays the harpsichord. Harpsichordists may play as soloists, as accompanists, as chamber musicians, or as members of an orchestra, or some combination of these roles. Solo harpsichordists may play unaccompanied son ...

and music researcher, especially in the field of

basso continuo Basso continuo parts, almost universal in the Baroque era (1600–1750), provided the harmonic structure of the music by supplying a bassline and a chord progression. The phrase is often shortened to continuo, and the instrumentalists playing th ...

Life

Born in Copenhagen, Christensen was a lecturer in historical composition, continuo and performance practice at the Royal Danish Academy of Music in Copenhagen from 1972 to 1985. He has taught harpsichord, basso continuo, chamber music and performance practice at the

Schola Cantorum Basiliensis The Schola Cantorum Basiliensis (SCB) is a music academy and research institution located in Basel, Switzerland, that focuses on early music and historically informed performance. Faculty at the school have organized performing ensembles that hav ...

since 1988. He has also been a visiting professor at the CNSM in

Lyon Lyon (Franco-Provençal: ''Liyon'') is a city in France. It is located at the confluence of the rivers Rhône and Saône, to the northwest of the French Alps, southeast of Paris, north of Marseille, southwest of Geneva, Switzerland, north ...

, at the ''Département de musique ancienne'' of the Geneva Conservatory, at the , as well as at numerous

master class ''Master Class'' is a 1995 play by American playwright Terrence McNally, presented as a fictional master class by opera singer Maria Callas near the end of her life, in the 1970s. The play features incidental vocal music by Giuseppe Verdi, Giac ...

es. In 1992, 1995, 1998 and 2001, Christensen was a member of the jury at the international harpsichord competition within the framework of the

MAfestival Brugge The MA Festival Brugge, short for the festival Musica Antiqua Bruges in Bruges, Belgium, is a festival of early music and historically informed performances, started in 1960. The program includes concerts, master classes, conferences, visits ...

and in 2006 president of the jury at the chamber music competition ''Premio Bonporti'' in

Rovereto Rovereto (; "wood of sessile oaks"; locally: ''Roveredo'') is a city and ''comune'' in Trentino in northern Italy, located in the Vallagarina valley of the Adige River. History Rovereto was an ancient fortress town standing at the fronti ...

, as well as several times chairman of the Telemann competition in

Magdeburg Magdeburg (; ) is the Capital city, capital of the Germany, German States of Germany, state Saxony-Anhalt. The city is on the Elbe river. Otto I, Holy Roman Emperor, Otto I, the first Holy Roman Emperor and founder of the Archbishopric of Mag ...

. He is the author of the textbook ''Die Grundlagen des Generalbassspiels im 18. Jahrhundert'' (Kassel 1992) and with Jörg-Andreas Bötticher author of the article ''Generalbass'' in the Musiklexikon ''

Musik in Geschichte und Gegenwart ''Die Musik in Geschichte und Gegenwart'' (''MGG''; "Music in the Past and Present") is a German music encyclopedia. It is among the world's most comprehensive encyclopedias of music history and musicology, on account of its scope, content, wealth ...

''.

Publications

* ''Die Grundlagen des Generalbassspiels im 18. Jahrhundert. Ein Lehrbuch nach zeitgenössischen Quellen''.

Bärenreiter Bärenreiter (Bärenreiter-Verlag) is a German classical music publishing house based in Kassel. The firm was founded by Karl Vötterle (1903–1975) in Augsburg in 1923, and moved to Kassel in 1927, where it still has its headquarters; it ...

, Kassel 1992. (6th edition 2012, ISMN 979-0-006-48912-1) ** English translation by J. Bradford Robinson under the title ''Eighteenth Century Continuo Playing. A historical guide to the basics.'' Bärenreiter, Kassel 2002. (2nd edition. 2014, ISMN 979-0-006-50549-4) ** French translation by Marinette ExtermannMarinette Extermann on discogs
/ref> under the title ''Les Fondements de la Basse Continue au XVIIIe siècle. Une méthode basée sur les sources d'époque.'' Bärenreiter, Kassel 2002. (4th edition. 2013, ** Italian translation by Maria Luisa Baldassari under the title ''Fondamenti di prassi del basso continuo nel secolo XVIII. Metodo basato sulle fonti originali.'' Ut Orpheus Edizioni 2003, ISMN 979-0-2153-0823-7. ** Czech translation by Dagmar Kupčiková under the title ''Základy generálbasové hry v 18. století. Učebnice dle historických pramenů.'' Brno 2011. (2nd edition. 2014, ) * ''Zur Generalbaß-Praxis bei Händel und Bach.'' In ''Theorie und Praxis bei Bach und Händel.'' (Basler Jahrbuch für Historische Musikpraxis. 9). Amadeus, Winterthur 1985, . * ''Über das Verhältnis zwischen der Solostimme und der Lage der Aussetzung: Zu einigen "Heiligen Kühen" des Generalbaß-Spiels im 20. Jahrhundert.'' In ''"Was der General-Baß sey?". Beiträge zu Theorie und Praxis II.'' (Basler Jahrbuch für Historische Musikpraxis. 19). Amadeus, Winterthur 1995, . * with Jörg-Andreas Bötticher ''Generalbaß.'' In Ludwig Finscher (ed.): ''Die Musik in Geschichte und Gegenwart.'' 2nd edition. Volume 3, Bärenreiter, Kassel 1995. * ''"Del Modo di Guidare colla Battuta e senza". Francesco Maria Veracini über das Dirigieren.'' In ''Direktion und Dirigieren.'' (Basler Jahrbuch für Historische Musikpraxis. 24). Amadeus, Winterthur 2000, . * ''Was uns kein Notentext hätte erzählen können. Zur musikalischen Bedeutung und Aussagekraft historischer Tondokumente.'' In Claudio Bacciagaluppi, Roman Brotbeck, Anselm Gerhard (ed.): ''Zwischen schöpferischer Individualität und künstlerischer Selbstverleugnung. Zur musikalischen Aufführungspraxis im 19. Jahrhundert.'' Edition Argus, Schliengen 2009, .

Recordings

* Luigi Boccherini: ''Sonate a violoncello solo e basso''. 2CDs. Pan Classics, PC 10260, also as mp3, with Gaetano Nasillo etc. * Francesco Antonio Bonporti: ''Invenzioni a violino solo''. 2CDs. Harmonia Mundi, HMC 905237.38, with

Chiara Banchini Chiara Banchini is a Switzerland, Swiss violinist, involved in the historical performance practice movement. She specializes in the music of the Baroque music, Baroque. Banchini was born in 1946 in Lugano, Switzerland. She graduated from the Gen ...

and Gaetano Nasillo. - Preis der Deutschen Schallplattenkritik * Arcangelo Corelli: ''Sonate a violino e violone o cimbalo.'' op. 5. Harmonia Mundi, HMA 1951307, with Chiara Banchini, Luciano Contini and Kathy Gohl * Arcangelo Corelli: ''Concerti Grossi.'' op. 6. 2CDs. Harmonia Mundi, HMG 501406.07, with Chiara Banchini and the Ensemble 415. -

Diapason d'or The Diapason d'Or (French for "Golden Tuning Fork") is a recommendation of outstanding (mostly) classical music recordings given by reviewers of '' Diapason'' magazine in France, broadly equivalent to "Editor's Choice", "Disc of the Month" in the ...

* Francesco Geminiani: ''6 Sonate per violoncello e basso continuo.'' op. 5. first published by Symphonie, now Pan Classics, PC 10232, and also on itunes and as mp3, with Gaetano Nasillo and Tobias Bonz * Johann Mattheson: ''Der brauchbare Virtuoso.'' 12 Kammersonaten (1717). 2 CDs. Kontrapunkt, auch als mp3, with Toke Lund Christiansen. - 1980 recording in Weekendavisen (Dk), Shortlist der 10 besten Aufnahmen des Jahres (1980) in gramophone * Georg Muffat: ''Armonico Tributo''. Harmonia Mundi, with Chiara Banchini and the Ensemble 415. - Diapason d'or * Antonio Vivaldi: ''Sonate a tre "La Follia"''. Harmonia Mundi, HMG 501366, with Chiara Banchini and the Ensemble 415 * ''Timewave'' with Mikkel Nordso, Klaus Nordso and Tine Rehling, Stunt Records (Sunnymoon)

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Christensen, Jesper Boje Danish harpsichordists Danish performers of early music Danish musicologists 1944 births Living people Musicians from Copenhagen