"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.
for: Harpsichord
Music score
Item no.: 1556574
for Soprano, Violin and Harpsichord
for: Voice (soprano), violin, harpsichord
Score
Item no.: 1555978
Ein Leitfaden zum lösungsorientierten Üben in Prävention und Therapie
Forum Musikpädagogik Band 155
for: Instrument [voice]
Book (softcover)
Item no.: 1552208
6 Suites
for: Harpsichord
Music score
Item no.: 1551570
Harmonie et contrepoint au clavier
for: Piano [harpsichord]
Music lesson book
Item no.: 1136880
Harmonie et contrepoint au clavier
for: Piano [harpsichord]
Music lesson book
Item no.: 1136879
for: Harpsichord
Buch
Item no.: 1551572
for Harpsichord, Clavichord or Piano
for: Harpsichord
Buch
Item no.: 1551580
for: Harpsichord
Music score
Item no.: 1551571
Grundlagen – Tipps – Übungen – Hörbeispiele
for: Instrument [voice]
Lesson book (with online media)
Item no.: 1550479
IGW 50
for: 4 harpsichords
Score, Parts
Item no.: 1550300
Contemporary Pieces Harpsichord 4 Hands
for: Harpsichord four hand
Music score
Item no.: 1550115
Volume 2: Concertos 4–6
for: Organ (manuals) [harpsichord], string orchestra, basso continuo
Score
Item no.: 1549871
Nr. 1-10 op. 5
for: Organ manuals [harpsichord/piano]
Music score
Item no.: 1549213
Chorale settings
for: Organ manuals [harpsichord/piano]
Music score
Item no.: 1549209
Musica Britannica 106
for: Harpsichord
Music score (hardcover)
Item no.: 1549145
Pian & Forte Vol. 143
for: Harpsichord
Music score (hardcover)
Item no.: 1163518
Pian & Forte Vol. 144
for: Harpsichord
Music score (hardcover)
Item no.: 1163517
(London, British Library Ms. Add.31501/I)
for: 2 harpsichords
Music score
Item no.: 1351419
"Triple Concerto"
Bärenreiter Urtext
for: Harpsichord, flute, violin, strings, basso continuo
Score (Urtext edition)
Item no.: 817353
Lp. 72
for: Harpsichord [piano]
Music score
Item no.: 1346369
for clarinet and harpsichord
for: Clarinet, harpsichord
Set of parts
Item no.: 859465
divise in studii e divertimenti
for: Harpsichord
Music score
Item no.: 962519
Leichte bis mittelschwere Vor-, Zwischen- und Nachspiele
for: Organ [harmonium/harpsichord/piano]
Music score
Item no.: 1317242
for: Harpsichord, piano, orchestra
Harpsichord [piano] (orchestral part)
Item no.: 1215684
Urtext Edition without fingering
for: Harpsichord [piano]
Music score (Hardcover, Urtext edition)
Item no.: 1209881
A guide to the development of the symphony through the 18th and 19th centuries
for: Instrument [voice]
Book
Item no.: 1192864
aus: Psalmen Davids
for: Basso continuo
Instrumental part 3 (Choir 1)
Item no.: 1160699
aus: Psalmen Davids
for: Basso continuo
Instrumental part 2 (Choir 1)
Item no.: 1160696
aus: Psalmen Davids
for: Basso continuo
Instrumental part 4 (Choir 2)
Item no.: 1160703
aus: Psalmen Davids
for: Basso continuo
Instrumental part 2 (Choir 2)
Item no.: 1160698
aus: Psalmen Davids
for: Basso continuo
Instrumental part 3 (Choir 2)
Item no.: 1160697
aus: Psalmen Davids
for: Basso continuo
Instrumental part 1 (Choir 1)
Item no.: 1160701
aus: Psalmen Davids
for: Basso continuo
Instrumental part 4 (Choir 1)
Item no.: 1160700
for: Harpsichord
Music score
Item no.: 1115019
for the Organ or Harpsichord
for: Organ (manuals) [harpsichord]
Music score (Urtext edition)
Item no.: 1093144
for: Harpsichord [organ]
Score
Item no.: 1044061
for: Harpsichord
Music score
Item no.: 1044020
for: Harpsichord [piano]
Music score
Item no.: 1026605
Four Sonatas for the French Dauphine
for: Harpsichord
Buch
Item no.: 1585774
for: Harpsichord
Buch
Item no.: 1343605
with 4 Concerts royaux
Bärenreiter Urtext
for: Harpsichord
Music score (Urtext edition)
Item no.: 817287
Das Rhythmus-Erfolgsprogramm für Instrumentalisten, Sänger und Tänzer
für Selbststudium und kreativen Rhythmusunterricht
for: Instrument [voice]
Music lesson book, DVD
Item no.: 1022537
Six concertos for two organs
or other keyboard instruments
for: 2 pianos [harpsichords/ organs]
Ensemble score
Item no.: 1018338
for: Harpsichord [piano]
Music score
Item no.: 1018336
für zwei Orgeln oder andere Tasteninstrumente
for: 2 pianos [harpsichords/ organs]
Music score
Item no.: 1018339
aus "Pièces de clavecin", Vol. 3, Ordre No. 18
for: Harpsichord [piano]
Music score
Item no.: 1017954
Graduali applicazioni teorico pratiche
for: Harpsichord [organ]
Music lesson book
Item no.: 1014367
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