It was Ercole Pasquini’s dismissal from the post of organist at St Peter’s in Rome that led to the appointment in 1608 of Frescobaldi. But he appears to have influenced his style, for instance in helping to develop the toccata; at any rate his music stands generally quite distinct from that of his Neapolitan contemporaries. This anthology will therefore earn a place on the shelf of anyone interested in the music of the period, especially since the performances do more than justice to the composer.

At his best, Pasquini has a bold turn of phrase and a certain keenness of invention. We find here many of the topics generally familiar from the keyboard repertory: sets of Ruggiero and Romanesca variations, a setting of Rore’s Ancor che col partire, toccatas, durezze, and a particularly fine and striking durezze e ligature, replete with dissonances and suspensions. Pasquini’s invention is at times uneven, though: contrast the short and long sets of Romanesca variations, S25 and S24 respectively. The shorter ones are almost perfunctory, the longer ones noticeably more fluent. But on the whole, the individual pieces are brief, so that few outstay their welcome. Among the pieces played on the harpsichord, the toccatas in particular are worth hearing, and not just for their kinship to Frescobaldi’s.

Julian Johnstone is a meticulous and zestful interpreter, whose careful choice of pieces speaks volumes for his commitment to this project. Equally shrewd is his judgement in the allocation of pieces to either organ or harpsichord. Were I to choose between the two sets (they are kept distinct on the disc), I would single out the organ performances as being especially enjoyable. For these he uses a copy of an Italian positive organ of the period; the harpsichord is the anonymous ‘F.A.’ of 1677 from Kenneth Gilbert’s collection. My only criticism is the recording of the latter, which is almost unnervingly close and cold-showery – bracing, if you prefer. But taken in smallish doses (it is a generous recital) that seems a small price to pay for a record that does rather more than plug a gap in the discography.