In the preface to Béla Bartók's six-volume piano cycle Mikrokosmos, the composer writes that "a number of pieces...are suitable for cembalo." If Bartók had known really fine harpsichords, he might have exploited the instrument much as he did the piano and the string quartet, seeking new sounds and new methods of playing. The fabric of Staccato, for instance, is similar to that of the pizzicato movement in his 4th string quartet, which, incidentally, might sound terrific on harpsichords. In Staccato, I use a hand cluster where the composer might have employed his famous "Bartók" pizzicato, snapped off the fingerboards of his string instruments. In preparing From the Diary of a Fly for publication, Bartók recommended an illustration to help us visualize the fly's stimulating day, which, needless to say, didn't turn out too well. But by distracting the listener with such an amusing personality, he conceals a phenomenal little essay in polytonality. Harmonics, on the piano, requires a technique of holding down some notes quietly so that their overtones (harmonics) can be heard. As this lovely effect is not possible on the harpsichord, I have invented another way to play the piece - a Henry Cowell-like technique we used later in our 1987 performance of The Great Gate of Kiev (see #1 Mussorsgky: Pictures at an Exhibition).