"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.
Performers' Faksimile (Facsimile)
for: Harpsichord [piano]
Item no.: 334788
Pian & Forte Vol. 144
for: Harpsichord
Music score
Item no.: 1163517
Nr. 7 B-Durop. 6HWV 325
for: Violin, harpsichord, string orchestra
Score
Item no.: 281649
Editio Supraphon
for: Harpsichord
Music score
Item no.: 114320
Musica per la tastiera
Tastenmusik aus dem 16. und 17. Jahrhundert
for: Harpsichord [piano]
Music score
Item no.: 256385
for: Harpsichord
Book
Item no.: 990155
Suite for harpsichord
for: Harpsichord
Music score
Item no.: 255345
Vol. I: Le musiche
Tastata – Opere d'intavolatura d'organo e cimbalo
for: Organ [harpsichord]
Item no.: 1697138
for: Harpsichord
Music score
Item no.: 648635
(Urtext)
for: Harpsichord, strings
Violin 1 (orchestral part)
Item no.: 191469
for: Harpsichord, strings, basso continuo
Violin 2 (orchestral part)
Item no.: 173891
Pièces pour le clavecin ou l'orgue
for: Harpsichord [organ]
Music score
Item no.: 1646164
Cembalo
for: Harpsichord
Item no.: 1619149
for: Harpsichord
Book
Item no.: 643998
for: Harpsichord
Book
Item no.: 999086
for: Harpsichord
Book
Item no.: 999099
for: Harpsichord
Book
Item no.: 999102
"Triple Concerto"
Bärenreiter Urtext
for: Harpsichord, flute, violin, strings, basso continuo
Viola (orchestral part)
Item no.: 817358
(Venezia 1776)
for: Organ (manuals) [harpsichord]
Music score
Item no.: 275182
für zwei Cembali, Streicher und Basso continuo
for: 2 harpsichords, strings, basso continuo
Cello, double bass (orchestral part)
Item no.: 328051
für zwei Cembali, Streicher und Basso continuo
for: 2 harpsichords, strings, basso continuo
Violin 2 (orchestral part)
Item no.: 328049
für zwei Cembali, Streicher und Basso continuo
for: 2 harpsichords, strings, basso continuo
Single part harpsichord 2
Item no.: 294071
for: Harpsichord
Item no.: 280649
Corpus Of Early Keyboard Music 40/2
for: Harpsichord [piano]
Item no.: 605409
BÄRENREITER URTEXT
for: Harpsichord
Stimme, Urtextausgabe
Item no.: 488098
for: Basso continuo
Item no.: 447098
for: Harpsichord, strings
Item no.: 103552
Praeclassica
for: Harpsichord
Single part Harpsichord
Item no.: 421436
for: Harpsichord [piano]
Item no.: 459450
for: Harpsichord
Item no.: 367520
for: Harpsichord
Single part Harpsichord
Item no.: 430333
for: Harpsichord
Music score
Item no.: 648665
Corpus Of Early Keyboard Music 40/3
for: Harpsichord [piano]
Item no.: 605410
for: Harpsichord, organ
Music score (reprint)
Item no.: 1013299
BuxWV 77
Einzelstimme B.c.
for: Basso continuo
Single part Basso continuo
Item no.: 234401
A luxurious folio of celebrated two-part inventions by J. S. Bach, a challenging selection of pieces that will develop awareness of melodic construction and counterpoint
for: Piano [harpsichord]
Music score
Item no.: 686180
for: Harpsichord, strings
Score
Item no.: 385726
Kantate zum Ratswechsel
for: Basso continuo
Harmony parts (complete winds)
Item no.: 642060
Performers' Facsimiles 136
for: Organ (manuals) [harpsichord/clavichord]
Music score (reprint)
Item no.: 341287
for: Harpsichord
Music score
Item no.: 1202182
for: Basso continuo
Item no.: 280426
Flauto e voce IX Generalbass
for: Basso continuo
Single part Basso continuo
Item no.: 630936
Vierter Satz mit Chor
BÄRENREITER URTEXT
for: Harpsichord
Stimme, Urtextausgabe
Item no.: 882626
for: Harpsichord
Single part Harpsichord
Item no.: 633565
Praeclassica
for: Harpsichord
Single part(n)
Item no.: 421328
Concerto grosso D-Dur
for: Harpsichord
Single part Harpsichord
Item no.: 421716
for: Basso continuo
Single part Basso continuo
Item no.: 229994
Madrigale spirituale
for: Basso continuo
Single part Basso continuo
Item no.: 232065
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