"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.
Corpus Mensurabilis Musicae 57
for: Harpsichord
Music score (anthology)
Item no.: 580927
Part 1: BWV 846-869
Henle Urtext Edition
for: Piano [harpsichord]
Music score (Urtext edition)
Item no.: 401105
Based on historical sources
for: Organ [harpsichord]
Music lesson book
Item no.: 671934
Leichte bis mittelschwere Vor-, Zwischen- und Nachspiele
for: Organ [harmonium/harpsichord/piano]
Music score
Item no.: 1317242
aus "Pièces de Clavecin, Dix-Huitième Ordre"
for: Harpsichord [piano]
Sheet music
Item no.: 4243
without fingering
for: Harpsichord [piano]
Music score (Urtext edition)
Item no.: 664942
bearbeitet für Cembalo
for: Harpsichord
Music score
Item no.: 671306
London, B1 Bs. Add. 31501, II-III
Tastata – Opere d'intavolatura d'organo e cimbalo
for: Harpsichord [organ]
Music score
Item no.: 773422
Erstveröffentlichung
for: Harpsichord, strings
Set of parts
Item no.: 361256
"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
Bärenreiter Urtext
for: Harpsichord
3 music scores
Item no.: 142410
Edizione critica
for: Harpsichord [piano]
Music score (Urtext edition)
Item no.: 160070
Its Style, Significance and Influence
for: Organ [harpsichord]
Book (Hardcover)
Item no.: 227700
A Historical Guide to the Basics
for: Organ [harpsichord]
Music lesson book
Item no.: 155243
Keyboard Works part 2 (2 vols)
for: Harpsichord
Music score (hardcover)
Item no.: 586408
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
BWV 992, 993, 989, 963, 820, 823, 832, 833, 822, 998
Bärenreiter Urtext
for: Harpsichord [piano]
Music score (Urtext edition)
Item no.: 296588
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
Bärenreiter Urtext
with Fingerings
for: Harpsichord [piano]
Music score (Urtext edition)
Item no.: 172511
für Cembalo
for: Harpsichord
Item no.: 351764
for: Harpsichord [piano]
Music score (Urtext edition)
Item no.: 401329
Edition Schott
for: Harpsichord
Music score
Item no.: 736778
Le Pupitre 17
for: Harpsichord
Music score
Item no.: 239769
for: Organ [harpsichord]
Sheet music
Item no.: 2649
for: Harpsichord [piano]
Music score
Item no.: 469219
for: Organ (manuals) [harpsichord]
Item no.: 348610
Thematic Catalogue (ASOT)
for: Harpsichord [piano]
Book (softcover)
Item no.: 771697
Fassung: Carl Friedrich Rellstab, 1788-1790
for: Harpsichord [piano]
Ensemble score
Item no.: 145103
Henle Urtext Editions
for: Harpsichord [piano]
Music score (Urtext edition)
Item no.: 401124
Für Klavier oder Cembalo. Erstmalig veröffentlicht von A. Kranz
for: Harpsichord [piano]
Item no.: 418879
Erstausgabe
ortus organum
Band 2
for: Organ manuals [harpsichord/piano]
Music score
Item no.: 601670
Musica Britannica 55
for: Piano [harpsichord/organ]
Music score (anthology)
Item no.: 365753
for: Harpsichord [organ]
Sheet music
Item no.: 1154
inspired by Johann Sebastian Bach
for: Harpsichord [piano]
Music score
Item no.: 1479679
Miscellabeous Suites and Pieces. Second Part
Urtext of the Halle Handel Edition
for: Piano [harpsichord]
Music score (Urtext edition)
Item no.: 116297
Biblioteca Geral da Universidade de Coimbra, Secção dos Reservados, Ms. MM 60
for: Harpsichord [piano]
Music score (Urtext edition)
Item no.: 474880
composed in conjunction with the Well-Tempered Clavier II
Bärenreiter Urtext
for: Harpsichord [piano]
Music score (Urtext edition)
Item no.: 217129
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
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
Bärenreiter Urtext
for: Piano [harpsichord]
Music score (Urtext edition)
Item no.: 116759
Orgel-, Cembalo- und Orchesterwerke
in leicht spielbarer Manualiter-Bearbeitung
for: Organ (manuals) [harpsichord]
Music score
Item no.: 1556703
Breitkopf Urtext Edition
for: Piano [harpsichord/organ]
Music score (Urtext edition)
Item no.: 286099
Die auf dem Clavier spielende Cæcilia
8 Sonaten
for: Harpsichord [piano]
Music score
Item no.: 696966
Basso continuo ausgesetzt
Harmonia coelestis Band 11 / Auserlesene Barockmusik
for: Harpsichord solo, 2 violins, basso continuo
Score, Parts
Item no.: 642429
K 1-52
Oeuvres complètes pour clavier, volume 1
Le Pupitre 31
for: Harpsichord
Music score
Item no.: 177108
Urtext
for: 2 harpsichords [2 pianos]
Piano reduction (Urtext edition)
Item no.: 692285
Opera Omnia Per Strumento A Tastiera 2~Complete Works For Keyboard (Urtextausgabe) (Urtext)
for: Harpsichord [piano]
Music score (Urtext edition)
Item no.: 368324
Biblioteca del Conservatorio di Napoli ms. 9478
for: Harpsichord [piano]
Music score (Urtext edition)
Item no.: 331185
for: Organ manuals [harpsichord/piano]
Music score (anthology)
Item no.: 156362
Miscellaneous Suites and Pieces. First Part
Urtext of the Halle Handel Edition
for: Piano [harpsichord]
Music score (Urtext edition)
Item no.: 116296
© 2004–2023 by Stretta Music. Order and buy sheet music online.
Your specialist for all kinds of sheet music. Online shop, sheet music, music scores and play along for download, books, music stands, music stand lights, accessories.
Germany
Austria
Switzerland
Netherlands
Belgium
France
Spain
Poland
Italy
Sweden
Portugal
Czech Republic
Worldwide
