Harpsichord – Sheet Music, Tuition & Scores

"Brightly the keys, all twinkling, linked, all harpsichording, called to a voice to sing the strain of dewy morn..." James Joyce

The harpsichord is widely seen as the forerunner of the modern day piano, the main difference being its plucking mechanism, rather than hammers, which gives it its distinct sound, the sound of the Renaissance and the Baroque, signalling in a new dawn for early music.

Concert pitch at the time was 415 Hz, approximately a semitone lower than today, which is 440 Hz. The harpsichord it very sensitive to fluctuations in temperature and humidity, and needs to be tuned at least once a day. The tuning process only takes about 20 minutes on average, so it is a small price to pay, for a beautiful, clean tone.

Not only is the harpsichord an excellent solo instrument, for which many works (such as sonatas, suites, toccatas, variations and many more) were written by composers such as B. Sweelinck, J. S. Bach, his son C. P. E. Bach, D. Scarlatti, Handel and F. Couperin, but the harpsichord, alongside the Organ, Theorbo and Lute, plays a central role in the basso continuo in most Baroque ensembles.

The harpsichord forms the harmonic bridge between melody and bass, and its central role within the basso continuo is comparable to the modern keyboard’s function in a rock, pop or jazz band.

One of the main features of the Baroque style for harpsichord is ornamentation, such as trills, mordents, turns and tremolo, which are particularly prominent in the French Baroque with composers such as Francois Couperin and Rameau. Many such ornaments can also be found in the famous Well-Tempered Clavier (1722) by J. S. Bach.

As a favoured instrument of the bourgeoisie and royalty, the untimely end of the harpsichord was brought about by the people’s revolts of the French Revolution (1789 to 1799), harpsichords and clavichords were thrown out of the windows onto the streets of Paris in anger and burned!

With the revival of early music in the 1970s, more and more new harpsichords were built. Pioneers such as B. Gustav Leonhardt, Ton Koopman and Nikolaus Harnoncourt reinvented Renaissance and Baroque style, and the harpsichord grew in popularity, and was once again seen on concert stages, and in chamber venues all around the world.

Today you can find harpsichords built in Flemish, French, Italian, Austrian and German styles all over the world. They all have their own individual character and tone. Historical performance practice has now become second nature for harpsichord players, and has influenced the way we approach modern keyboard instruments, and most importantly how we view the piano.

Carry on harpsichording

Keyboard Music of the Late Middle Ages in Codex Faenza 117

Corpus Mensurabilis Musicae 57

for: Harpsichord

Music score (anthology)

Item no.: 580927

52.20  €incl. VAT, plus shipping
Delivery time: 1–2 months
Johann Sebastian Bach

The Well-Tempered Clavier I

Part 1: BWV 846-869
Henle Urtext Edition

for: Piano [harpsichord]

Music score (Urtext edition)

Item no.: 401105

24.00  €incl. VAT, plus shipping
In stock. Delivery time: 1–3 working days (de)
Diez Eichler

Basso Continuo – An Introduction

Based on historical sources

for: Organ [harpsichord]

Music lesson book

Item no.: 671934

27.50  €incl. VAT, plus shipping
In stock. Delivery time: 1–3 working days (de)
Reimund Hess

Formen und Farben

Leichte bis mittelschwere Vor-, Zwischen- und Nachspiele

for: Organ [harmonium/harpsichord/piano]

Music score

Item no.: 1317242

14.00  €incl. VAT, plus shipping
In stock. Delivery time: 1–3 working days (de)
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François Couperin

Le Tic-Toc-Choc, ou les Maillotins

aus "Pièces de Clavecin, Dix-Huitième Ordre"

for: Harpsichord [piano]

Sheet music

Item no.: 4243

2.50  €incl. VAT
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Johann Sebastian Bach

French Suites BWV 812–817

without fingering

for: Harpsichord [piano]

Music score (Urtext edition)

Item no.: 664942

17.50  €incl. VAT, plus shipping
In stock. Delivery time: 1–3 working days (de)
Johann Sebastian Bach

Suiten, Partiten, Sonaten

bearbeitet für Cembalo

for: Harpsichord

Music score

Item no.: 671306

46.95  €incl. VAT, plus shipping
In stock. Delivery time: 1–3 working days (de)
Bernardo Pasquini

Opere per tastiera 7

London, B1 Bs. Add. 31501, II-III
Tastata – Opere d'intavolatura d'organo e cimbalo

for: Harpsichord [organ]

Music score

Item no.: 773422

33.00  €incl. VAT, plus shipping
Delivery time: 2–4 weeks.
Wilhelmine von Bayreuth

Concerto in g-Moll

Erstveröffentlichung

for: Harpsichord, strings

Set of parts

Item no.: 361256

29.00  €incl. VAT, plus shipping
Delivery time: 5–7 working days (de)
Domenico Zipoli

Orgel– und Cembalowerke 1: Orgelwerke

"Sonate d'Intavolatura per Organo e Cimbalo"
Domenico Zipoli. Orgel- und Cembalowerke 1

for: Organ manuals [harpsichord/piano]

Music score (Urtext edition)

Item no.: 196214

17.95  €incl. VAT, plus shipping
In stock. Delivery time: 1–3 working days (de)
Jean-Philippe Rameau

Complete Keyboard Works 1-3

Bärenreiter Urtext

for: Harpsichord

3 music scores

Item no.: 142410

118.00  €incl. VAT, plus shipping
In stock. Delivery time: 1–3 working days (de)
Domenico Scarlatti

Sonate per clavicembalo 8

Edizione critica

for: Harpsichord [piano]

Music score (Urtext edition)

Item no.: 160070

49.99  €incl. VAT, plus shipping
Delivery time: 5–7 working days (de)
Pieter Dirksen

The Keyboard Music of Jan Pieterszoon Sweelinck

Its Style, Significance and Influence

for: Organ [harpsichord]

Book (Hardcover)

Item no.: 227700

58.40  €incl. VAT, plus shipping
Delivery time: 2–4 weeks.
Jesper Bøje Christensen

18th Century Continuo Playing

A Historical Guide to the Basics

for: Organ [harpsichord]

Music lesson book

Item no.: 155243

45.95  €incl. VAT, plus shipping
Delivery time: 2–5 working days (de)
Dieterich Buxtehude

The Collected Works 16 (2 vols)

Keyboard Works part 2 (2 vols)

for: Harpsichord

Music score (hardcover)

Item no.: 586408

225.00  €incl. VAT, plus shipping
Delivery time: 1–2 months
Alessandro Scarlatti

Complete Works for Keyboard 6 – Toccatas, Fugues and various compositions

Napoli, Biblioteca del Conservatorio «S. Pietro a Majella», Ms. 46.1.29; Montecassino, Biblioteca dell’Abbazia, Ms. 126 D. 3; altre fonti (Berlino, Firenze, Londra, Roma, Vienna)

for: Harpsichord [piano]

Music score (Urtext edition)

Item no.: 771745

81.95  €incl. VAT, plus shipping
Delivery time: 3–5 weeks
Johann Sebastian Bach

Miscellaneous Works for Piano III

BWV 992, 993, 989, 963, 820, 823, 832, 833, 822, 998
Bärenreiter Urtext

for: Harpsichord [piano]

Music score (Urtext edition)

Item no.: 296588

23.50  €incl. VAT, plus shipping
In stock. Delivery time: 1–3 working days (de)
Alessandro Scarlatti

Complete Works for Keyboard 4 – Toccatas and various compositions

New Haven, Yale University, Misc. Ms. 164 [Ms. «Higgs»] e Biblioteca del Conservatorio “S. Pietro a Majella” di Napoli, Ms. 74

for: Harpsichord [piano]

Music score (Urtext edition)

Item no.: 549575

69.95  €incl. VAT, plus shipping
Delivery time: 2–5 working days (de)
Johann Sebastian Bach

Inventions and Sinfonias BWV 772–801

Bärenreiter Urtext
with Fingerings

for: Harpsichord [piano]

Music score (Urtext edition)

Item no.: 172511

19.50  €incl. VAT, plus shipping
In stock. Delivery time: 1–3 working days (de)
Jean Françaix

L'Insectarium

für Cembalo

for: Harpsichord

Item no.: 351764

19.50  €incl. VAT, plus shipping
Delivery time: 2–5 working days (de)
Johann Sebastian Bach

Notebook for Anna Magdalena Bach

for: Harpsichord [piano]

Music score (Urtext edition)

Item no.: 401329

15.50  €incl. VAT, plus shipping
In stock. Delivery time: 1–3 working days (de)
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György Ligeti

Continuum

Edition Schott

for: Harpsichord

Music score

Item no.: 736778

13.99  €incl. VAT
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Antoine Forqueray

Pièces de Clavecin

Le Pupitre 17

for: Harpsichord

Music score

Item no.: 239769

22.99  €incl. VAT, plus shipping
Delivery time: 5–7 working days (de)
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Antonio Valente

Gagliarda

for: Organ [harpsichord]

Sheet music

Item no.: 2649

1.50  €incl. VAT
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Johann Ulrich Steigleder

Tabulatur Buch – Dass Vatter unser

for: Harpsichord [piano]

Music score

Item no.: 469219

18.50  €incl. VAT, plus shipping
Delivery time: 2–4 weeks.
Gottlieb Muffat

72 Versetl Samt 12 Toccaten

for: Organ (manuals) [harpsichord]

Item no.: 348610

15.00  €incl. VAT, plus shipping
Delivery time: 2–5 working days (de)
Alessandro Scarlatti

Complete Works for Keyboard 7 – Sources List and Description

Thematic Catalogue (ASOT)

for: Harpsichord [piano]

Book (softcover)

Item no.: 771697

67.95  €incl. VAT, plus shipping
Delivery time: 3–5 weeks
Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach

46 Anfangsstücke für Klavier / Cembalo

Fassung: Carl Friedrich Rellstab, 1788-1790

for: Harpsichord [piano]

Ensemble score

Item no.: 145103

16.90  €incl. VAT, plus shipping
In stock. Delivery time: 1–3 working days (de)
Johann Sebastian Bach

Goldberg-Variationen BWV 988

Henle Urtext Editions

for: Harpsichord [piano]

Music score (Urtext edition)

Item no.: 401124

14.50  €incl. VAT, plus shipping
In stock. Delivery time: 1–3 working days (de)
Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach

Musikalisches Mancherlei.

Für Klavier oder Cembalo. Erstmalig veröffentlicht von A. Kranz

for: Harpsichord [piano]

Item no.: 418879

7.50  €incl. VAT, plus shipping
Delivery time: 2–5 working days (de)
Gottfried Kirchhoff

Werke für Clavier

Erstausgabe
ortus organum
Band 2

for: Organ manuals [harpsichord/piano]

Music score

Item no.: 601670

18.00  €incl. VAT, plus shipping
Delivery time: 5–7 working days (de)

Elizabethan Keyboard Music

Musica Britannica 55

for: Piano [harpsichord/organ]

Music score (anthology)

Item no.: 365753

139.10  €incl. VAT, plus shipping
Delivery time: 2–4 weeks.
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Jan Pieterszoon Sweelinck

Pavana Lachrimae

for: Harpsichord [organ]

Sheet music

Item no.: 1154

2.50  €incl. VAT
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Fazıl Say

Goldberg in Istanbul

inspired by Johann Sebastian Bach

for: Harpsichord [piano]

Music score

Item no.: 1479679

9.00  €incl. VAT, plus shipping
In stock. Delivery time: 1–3 working days (de)
George Frideric Handel

Keyboard Works 4

Miscellabeous Suites and Pieces. Second Part
Urtext of the Halle Handel Edition

for: Piano [harpsichord]

Music score (Urtext edition)

Item no.: 116297

26.95  €incl. VAT, plus shipping
In stock. Delivery time: 1–3 working days (de)
Alessandro Scarlatti

Complete Works for Keyboard 3 – Toccatas and various compositions

Biblioteca Geral da Universidade de Coimbra, Secção dos Reservados, Ms. MM 60

for: Harpsichord [piano]

Music score (Urtext edition)

Item no.: 474880

66.85  €incl. VAT, plus shipping
Delivery time: 2–5 working days (de)
Johann Sebastian Bach

Preludes and Fughettas

composed in conjunction with the Well-Tempered Clavier II
Bärenreiter Urtext

for: Harpsichord [piano]

Music score (Urtext edition)

Item no.: 217129

15.95  €incl. VAT, plus shipping
Delivery time: 2–5 working days (de)
Johann Jakob Froberger

Neue Ausgabe sämtlicher Werke 1

Johann Jacob Froberger. Neue Ausgabe sämtlicher Werke 1 (Gesamtausgabe, Sammelband, Urtextausgabe) (Complete edition, Collection, Urtext)

for: Organ manuals [harpsichord/piano]

Performance scores

Item no.: 117685

51.00  €incl. VAT, plus shipping
In stock. Delivery time: 1–3 working days (de)
Alessandro Scarlatti

Complete Works for Keyboard 5 – Toccatas and various compositions

Milano, Biblioteca del Conservatorio “Giuseppe Verdi”, Fondo Noseda, [Ms. 8802], L 22 / 1-9 e L 24-35; brani desunti da varie fonti

for: Harpsichord [piano]

Music score (Urtext edition)

Item no.: 549995

70.95  €incl. VAT, plus shipping
Delivery time: 2–5 working days (de)
Johann Sebastian Bach

Clavier-Büchlein for Wilhelm Friedemann Bach

Bärenreiter Urtext

for: Piano [harpsichord]

Music score (Urtext edition)

Item no.: 116759

21.50  €incl. VAT, plus shipping
In stock. Delivery time: 1–3 working days (de)

G. F. Händel light

Orgel-, Cembalo- und Orchesterwerke
in leicht spielbarer Manualiter-Bearbeitung

for: Organ (manuals) [harpsichord]

Music score

Item no.: 1556703

18.00  €incl. VAT, plus shipping
In stock. Delivery time: 1–3 working days (de)
Johann Sebastian Bach

371 Four–Part Chorales BWV 253-438 a. o.

Breitkopf Urtext Edition

for: Piano [harpsichord/organ]

Music score (Urtext edition)

Item no.: 286099

32.50  €incl. VAT, plus shipping
In stock. Delivery time: 1–3 working days (de)
Franz Anton Maichelbeck

Clavierwerke op. 1

Die auf dem Clavier spielende Cæcilia
8 Sonaten

for: Harpsichord [piano]

Music score

Item no.: 696966

19.50  €incl. VAT, plus shipping
Delivery time: 2–5 working days (de)
Matthias Georg Monn

Concerto per il Clavicembalo D-Dur

Basso continuo ausgesetzt
Harmonia coelestis Band 11 / Auserlesene Barockmusik

for: Harpsichord solo, 2 violins, basso continuo

Score, Parts

Item no.: 642429

21.80  €incl. VAT, plus shipping
Delivery time: 2–5 working days (de)
Domenico Scarlatti

Sonaten I

K 1-52
Oeuvres complètes pour clavier, volume 1
Le Pupitre 31

for: Harpsichord

Music score

Item no.: 177108

22.99  €incl. VAT, plus shipping
Delivery time: 2–5 working days (de)
Johann Sebastian Bach

Harpsichord Concerto No. 1 in D minor BWV 1052

Urtext

for: 2 harpsichords [2 pianos]

Piano reduction (Urtext edition)

Item no.: 692285

20.00  €incl. VAT, plus shipping
In stock. Delivery time: 1–3 working days (de)
Alessandro Scarlatti

Complete Works for Keyboard 2 – Toccatas and various compositions

Opera Omnia Per Strumento A Tastiera 2~Complete Works For Keyboard (Urtextausgabe) (Urtext)

for: Harpsichord [piano]

Music score (Urtext edition)

Item no.: 368324

59.95  €incl. VAT, plus shipping
Delivery time: 2–5 working days (de)
Alessandro Scarlatti

Complete Works for Keyboard 1 – Toccatas

Biblioteca del Conservatorio di Napoli ms. 9478

for: Harpsichord [piano]

Music score (Urtext edition)

Item no.: 331185

61.95  €incl. VAT, plus shipping
Delivery time: 2–5 working days (de)

Organ and Keyboard Music at the Salzburg Court 1500-1800

for: Organ manuals [harpsichord/piano]

Music score (anthology)

Item no.: 156362

32.95  €incl. VAT, plus shipping
Delivery time: 2–5 working days (de)
George Frideric Handel

Keyboard Works 3

Miscellaneous Suites and Pieces. First Part
Urtext of the Halle Handel Edition

for: Piano [harpsichord]

Music score (Urtext edition)

Item no.: 116296

22.50  €incl. VAT, plus shipping
In stock. Delivery time: 1–3 working days (de)
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