"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.
Jedes Tier zeigt dir seinen Rhythmus
Für jeglichen musikalischen Basisunterricht in Musikschule, Grundschule und Kindergarten
for: Instrument [voice]
Music score
Item no.: 778535
for: Harpsichord
Music lesson book
Item no.: 275507
o sia il basso fondamentale sopra il Cembalo
Theorie und Praxis des Partimentospiels – Manuskript, Transkription und Übersetzung
Quellenkataloge zur Musikgeschichte Band 43
for: Harpsichord [organ]
Study book
Item no.: 562360
Erster und zweiter Teil. Reprint der 1. Auflage Berlin 1753 und 1762 (Reprint)
for: harpsichord [organ/piano]
Music lesson book (reprint)
Item no.: 149105
Première Année
Vol. 2 – Semaines 17 à 32
for: Harpsichord
Music lesson book
Item no.: 767771
Eleven pieces by Bull, Byrd, Gibbons and others with contemporary fingerings
for: Virginal [harpsichord]
Music lesson book
Item no.: 344524
Eine praktische Musiklehre
Heft 4b
Bausteine - Werkreihe (Praxishilfe) (Lehrmaterial) (Teaching material)
for: Instrument [voice]
Study book
Item no.: 103254
Eine praktische Musiklehre
Heft 1 – Lehrheft
for: Instrument [voice]
Study book
Item no.: 103239
Das Rhythmus-Erfolgsprogramm für Instrumentalisten, Sänger und Tänzer
für Selbststudium und kreativen Rhythmusunterricht
for: Instrument [voice]
Music lesson book, DVD
Item no.: 1022537
Einführung auf Grund zeitgenössischer Generalbaß-Schulen und systematische Übungen nach klassischen Beispielen (Lehrmaterial) (Teaching material)
for: Organ [harpsichord]
Music lesson book
Item no.: 385937
Ein Grundlehrgang für das Spiel auf dem Cembalo oder Spinett
unter Verwendung von Literatur aus dem 16. bis 18. Jahrhundert
for: Harpsichord
Music lesson book
Item no.: 352978
Eine praktische Musiklehre
Übungsheft
for: Instrument [voice]
Study book
Item no.: 103242
Eine praktische Musiklehre
Heft 1 – Übungsheft
for: Instrument [voice]
Study book
Item no.: 103240
Grundlagen – Tipps – Übungen – Hörbeispiele
for: Instrument [voice]
Lesson book (with online media)
Item no.: 1550479
Graduali applicazioni teorico pratiche
for: Harpsichord [organ]
Music lesson book
Item no.: 1014367
Storia, estetica e prassi esecutive
for: Piano [harpsichord]
Book
Item no.: 773592
Systeme der Harmonielehre und der Akkord-Bezifferung
for: Organ [harpsichord]
Music lesson book
Item no.: 268606
Ergänzungsband zum Solfège-Übungsbuch mit mehrstimmigen Beispielen aus der Opernliteratur
Bausteine - Schriftenreihe
for: Instrument [voice]
Music lesson book
Item no.: 183752
Interpretazione e ricostruzione di antichi strumenti a tastiera
for: Piano [harpsichord]
Book
Item no.: 780790
Eine praktische Anleitung fur Pianisten, Organisten und Cembalisten
for: Harpsichord
Music lesson book
Item no.: 615003
Guida pratica per Pianisti, Organisti e Clavicembalisti
for: harpsichord [organ/piano]
Music lesson book
Item no.: 768447
Praktischer Teil 1
for: Organ [harpsichord]
Music lesson book
Item no.: 351356
Musiklehre und Gehörbildung mit relativer Solmisation
for: Instrument [voice]
Music lesson book, online audio
Item no.: 676421
Eine praktische Musiklehre
Heft 4b – Übungsheft
for: Instrument [voice]
Study book
Item no.: 103255
Eine praktische Musiklehre
Heft 4a – Lehrheft
for: Instrument [voice]
Study book
Item no.: 103245
32 deutsche Lehrwerke des 18. Jahrhunderts im Überblick
for: Organ (manuals) [harpsichord/clavichord]
Book (Hardcover)
Item no.: 586133
Manuel du collège
for: Instrument [voice]
Music lesson book
Item no.: 768566
overo dell'istromento musico perfetto - Con annotazioni critiche manoscritte di Scipione Stella
for: Harpsichord
Book
Item no.: 780799
for: Piano [harpsichord/organ]
Music lesson book
Item no.: 114703
Metodo basato sulle fonti originali
for: Organ [harpsichord]
Music lesson book
Item no.: 549581
Ein Lese-, Spiel- und Nachschlagebuch zur Interpretation der Klaviermusik des Barock
for: Harpsichord [piano]
Music lesson book
Item no.: 151508
for: Harpsichord
Music lesson book
Item no.: 689492
Eine praktische Musiklehre
Lehrheft
for: Instrument [voice]
Study book
Item no.: 103243
Band 2: Die Vokalmusik
for: Organ [harpsichord]
Music lesson book
Item no.: 420439
Per lo studio del basso continuo, dell'accompagnamento e della composizione secondo il metodo della Scuola Napoletana settecentesca
for: Basso continuo
Music lesson book
Item no.: 767794
Guía practica para pianistas, organistas y clavecinistas
for: harpsichord [organ/piano]
Music lesson book
Item no.: 769476
Cycle 3 / Fin d'études
for: Instrument [voice]
Music lesson book
Item no.: 562389
Eine praktische Musiklehre
Heft 3
Bausteine - Werkreihe (Praxishilfe) (Lehrmaterial) (Teaching material)
for: Instrument [voice]
Study book
Item no.: 103244
for: Harpsichord
Study book
Item no.: 173594
Musiklehre und Gehörbildung mit relativer Solmisation
for: Instrument [voice]
Music lesson book, online audio
Item no.: 676422
Guide pratique pour pianistes, organistes et clavecinistes
for: Harpsichord
Music lesson book
Item no.: 656315
in den Werken für Cembalo und Klavichord von Johann Sebastian Bach
for: Harpsichord [organ]
Music lesson book
Item no.: 583680
Band 1: Die Instrumentalmusik
for: Organ [harpsichord]
Music lesson book
Item no.: 420438
Eine praktische Musiklehre
Heft 2 – Lehrheft
Bausteine für Musikerziehung und Musikpflege
for: Instrument [voice]
Study book
Item no.: 103241
sul clavicembalo e fortepiano
for: Harpsichord
Book
Item no.: 265232
Performers' Facsimiles (Faksimile) (Facsimile)
for: Harpsichord
Music lesson book
Item no.: 296695
Superieur Cy 004
for: Instrument [voice]
Music lesson book
Item no.: 562388
for: Piano [harpsichord]
Music score
Item no.: 1031476
© 2004–2024 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
Luxembourg
Italy
Spain
Portugal
Denmark
Finland
Sweden
Poland
Czech Republic
Worldwide
