Peter Drozd

Harpsichord Lessons in The Hague – Discover Early Music

Hello, I’m Peter Drozd, a professional musician and teacher based in The Hague. I offer individual harpsichord lessons for complete beginners, pianists and organists discovering the instrument, as well as intermediate and advanced players.

Beginners to Advanced

Whether you are drawn to the sound of the harpsichord, curious about Baroque music, or looking to deepen your understanding and performance of early keyboard repertoire, lessons are shaped around your interests, experience and musical goals.

Discovering the Harpsichord

The harpsichord is not simply a ’piano without dynamics’. Its distinctive touch, articulation, fingering and sonority invite a different approach to keyboard playing, and open up a fascinating world of musical possibilities.

Play Renaissance and Baroque

We explore these possibilities through repertoire from the Renaissance and Baroque, with a particular fondness for J. S. Bach, Händel, the Couperins and D. Scarlatti, as well as other composers and styles that may suit your interests.

Have you never played the Harpsichord?

That is no problem! For beginners, I have developed a gradual approach that introduces the fundamentals of harpsichord technique and historical fingering through my own practical exercises. No previous experience with the instrument is required. 

Pianists and organists

For pianists and organists, lessons can offer a fresh perspective on familiar skills. We explore what changes, and what remains, when moving between instruments, particularly in touch, articulation, fingering, phrasing and musical expression.

Historical Performance in Practice

A central part of my teaching is discovering how the music can speak through the instrument for which it was written. Where useful, we work with historical treatises, original sources and facsimiles, exploring the French, Italian and German traditions.

Ornamentation

Ornamentation, articulation, and phrasing are approached not merely as matters of historical interest, but as practical tools performing the music more convincingly, within a strong tradition.

Freedom within tradition

Improvisation is another important part of this tradition. I introduce students to historical approaches through simple exercises inspired by the practices of Baroque musicians, allowing improvisation to grow naturally from harmony, counterpoint and repertoire.

Basso Continuo, Harmony & Partimento

For singers, instrumentalists, organists, pianists and harpsichordists interested in accompaniment and historical keyboard practice, I also teach harmony, polyphony, basso continuo (figured bass) and partimento.

For Advanced Players

With more experienced harpsichordists, lessons can focus on repertoire, technique and historically informed performance. Depending on your interests, we might work on a particular composer or style, polyphony, sight-reading, ornamentation, improvisation or the study of historical sources.

The aim is not simply to decide how a piece might be played, but to understand why, and to develop the musical freedom that comes from that understanding.

Lessons in The Hague and Online

Lessons take place at my home in The Hague, at your home, or online. For students who would like to practise regularly on a harpsichord, I can also provide an English spinet by Klop for home practice.

About Me

I am a professional musician specialising in early music and historical keyboard playing. I studied at the Royal Conservatoire The Hague, where I studied harpsichord with Kathryn Cok and Carole Cerasi and basso continuo with Patrick Ayrton.
Alongside performing, I have extensive teaching experience in piano, harpsichord and music theory. I see teaching as a musical conversation: a way of discovering repertoire, sharpening one's ears and understanding, and finding a personal and convincing way to bring the music to life.

Are you interested? Book a Trial Lesson

If you are curious about the harpsichord or would like to take your playing to the next level, You are very welcome to get in touch for a trial lesson.