"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.
BWV 1062
für 2 Claviere, 2 Violinen, Viola und Basso continuo
for: 2 harpsichords, strings, basso continuo
Score, parts (pdf download)
Item no.: 3959
aus: "Sonate di Gravicembalo"
for: Harpsichord [piano]
Sheet music
Item no.: 3073
B-Dur
for: Harpsichord [piano]
Sheet music
Item no.: 3561
BWV 1055
für Clavier, 2 Violinen, Viola und Basso continuo
for: Harpsichord [piano], strings, basso continuo
Score, parts (pdf download)
Item no.: 3908
BWV 1064
für 3 Claviere, 2 Violinen, Viola und Basso continuo
for: 3 harpsichords, strings, basso continuo
Score, parts (pdf download)
Item no.: 3989
op. 1, Nr. 3
for: Piano [harpsichord]
Sheet music
Item no.: 4662
g-Moll, HWV 574
for: Harpsichord [piano]
Sheet music
Item no.: 3807
for: Organ [harpsichord]
Sheet music
Item no.: 2350
From "The Sufferings of the Queen of France" (No.3/4)
for: Harpsichord [piano]
Sheet music
Item no.: 3485
for: Harpsichord [piano]
Sheet music
Item no.: 4782
aus dem Klavierbüchlein für Wilhelm Friedemann Bach, BWV 841 und 842
for: Harpsichord [piano]
Sheet music
Item no.: 1221
aus "Zwölf Minuet auf das Clavier, welche, auch mit Accompagnierung einer Violin, Flaute–Traversiere, Oboe &c.&c. nach Belieben können gespielet werden"
Augsburg, 1758
for: Piano [harpsichord]
Sheet music
Item no.: 4298
aus dem Klavierbuch von Anna Maria van Eijl
Amsterdam, 1671
for: Organ [harpsichord]
Sheet music
Item no.: 3461
for: 2 harpsichords [2 pianos]
Score, parts (pdf download)
Item no.: 6082
aus: VIII Sonate per cembalo, op. 1
for: Piano [harpsichord]
Sheet music
Item no.: 5652
K. 461 (Longo 8)
for: Harpsichord [piano]
Sheet music
Item no.: 1144
a-Moll, BWV 784
for: Harpsichord [piano]
Sheet music
Item no.: 3305
BWV 937
aus „Sechs Praeludien für Anfänger auf dem Clavier“
for: Harpsichord [piano]
Sheet music
Item no.: 1712
from "Ye Tuneful Muses"
Z. T681
for: Harpsichord [piano]
Sheet music
Item no.: 4117
G-Dur
for: Harpsichord [piano]
Sheet music
Item no.: 2554
K. 487 (Longo 205)
for: Harpsichord [piano]
Sheet music
Item no.: 4372
aus: Clavierübungen – Erste Sammlung
Berlin, 1761
for: Harpsichord [piano]
Sheet music
Item no.: 5310
per il Cembalo con due Violini e basso, Hob. XIV:3
for: Harpsichord [piano], 2 violins, cello; violone ad lib.
Score, parts (pdf download)
Item no.: 1374
aus: B. Schmid, Tabulatur Buch Von Allerhand außerlesnen Schoenen Lieblichen Praeludijs, Toccaten, Motetten, Canzonetten, Madrigalien vnnd Fugen ...
Straßburg, 1607
for: Organ (manuals) [harpsichord]
Sheet music
Item no.: 5647
aus: „Six Fugues pour les Orgues ou le Clavecin“
for: Organ [harpsichord]
Sheet music
Item no.: 4569
from "The Double Dealer"
Z. T676
for: Harpsichord [piano]
Sheet music
Item no.: 4109
BWV 906
for: Harpsichord [piano]
Sheet music
Item no.: 2600
Hob. XVI:7
for: Harpsichord [piano]
Sheet music
Item no.: 1472
K. 32 (Longo 423)
for: Harpsichord [piano]
Sheet music
Item no.: 2417
for: Organ [harpsichord]
Sheet music
Item no.: 4364
for: Organ [harpsichord]
Sheet music
Item no.: 2987
g-Moll
for: Harpsichord [piano]
Sheet music
Item no.: 2555
BWV 902
for: Harpsichord [piano]
Sheet music
Item no.: 1052
d-Moll
for: Harpsichord [piano]
Sheet music
Item no.: 3371
aus: „Four Lessons and two Voluntaries for the Harpsichord or Organ“
for: Piano [harpsichord/organ]
Sheet music
Item no.: 5446
From "The Sufferings of the Queen of France" (No. 9/10)
for: Harpsichord [piano]
Sheet music
Item no.: 3672
BWV 914
for: Organ [harpsichord]
Sheet music
Item no.: 2431
aus: B. Schmid, Tabulatur Buch Von Allerhand außerlesnen Schoenen Lieblichen Praeludijs, Toccaten, Motetten, Canzonetten, Madrigalien vnnd Fugen ...
Straßburg, 1607
for: Organ (manuals) [harpsichord]
Sheet music
Item no.: 5646
BWV 924, aus dem Clavierbüchlein für W. Fr. Bach
for: Harpsichord [piano]
Sheet music
Item no.: 1704
aus: B. Schmid, Tabulatur Buch Von Allerhand außerlesnen Schoenen Lieblichen Praeludijs, Toccaten, Motetten, Canzonetten, Madrigalien vnnd Fugen ...
Straßburg, 1607
for: Organ (manuals) [harpsichord]
Sheet music
Item no.: 5649
aus: Libro secondo di Toccate, Fantasie, Canzone...
Wien, 1649
for: Harpsichord [organ]
Sheet music
Item no.: 3003
aus "Nouveau Livre de Noels pour l’Orgue et le Clavecin"
Paris, 1757
for: Organ [harpsichord]
Sheet music
Item no.: 4111
aus: Clavierübungen – Erste Sammlung
Berlin, 1761
for: Harpsichord [piano]
Sheet music
Item no.: 5494
aus "Toccate e partite d’intavolatura di cimbalo e organo, libro primo"
for: Harpsichord [organ]
Sheet music
Item no.: 1663
aus dem Klavierbuch von Anna Maria van Eijl
Amsterdam, 1671
for: Organ [harpsichord]
Sheet music
Item no.: 3475
From "The Sufferings of the Queen of France" (No.1/2)
for: Harpsichord [piano]
Sheet music
Item no.: 3477
TWV 33:7
for: Harpsichord [piano]
Sheet music
Item no.: 3937
K. 87 (Longo 33)
for: Harpsichord [piano]
Sheet music
Item no.: 3966
© 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
