Colin Tilney, who has died aged 91, was an accomplished executant on historical keyboard instruments. He came to prominence in Britain during the 1960s wave of the early music revival. He went on to be a significant figure with regard to historically informed performance practice in his adopted Canada. Not only were his performances characterised by stylistic awareness and consummate discretion, but he was always scrupulous in ensuring that the instrument on which he played provided a suitable match for the music.
He is best remembered for his mastery of the Elizabethan composers, the Italian school (especially Frescobaldi) and German school (Froberger, Kuhnau) as well as Domenico Scarlatti, Bach and Handel, but a catalogue of more than 70 recordings covers virtually the entire harpsichord repertoire. Having at an early stage in his career played harpsichord on the 1964 recording of Stravinsky’s Rake’s Progress, under the composer’s own direction, he maintained an interest in contemporary music, commissioning and playing new works in both Britain and Canada.
