"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: Organ (manuals) [harpsichord]
Item no.: 195353
Kantate
for: Basso continuo
Single part Basso continuo
Item no.: 229972
for: Basso continuo
Single part Basso continuo
Item no.: 230339
for: Basso continuo
Single part Basso continuo
Item no.: 229987
BuxWV 43
Einzelstimme B.c.
for: Basso continuo
Single part Basso continuo
Item no.: 234382
for: Basso continuo
Single part Basso continuo
Item no.: 230083
for: Basso continuo
Single part Basso continuo
Item no.: 230220
for: Basso continuo
Single part Basso continuo
Item no.: 229757
for: Basso continuo
Single part Basso continuo
Item no.: 229999
for: Basso continuo
Single part Basso continuo
Item no.: 232632
for: Harpsichord
Item no.: 385293
aus: Symphoniae Sacrae III
for: Basso continuo
Single part Basso continuo
Item no.: 231945
for: Basso continuo
Item no.: 464613
for: Basso continuo
Single part Basso continuo
Item no.: 231612
aus: Die Elenden sollen essen
Sinfonia aus dem zweiten Teil der Kantate mit Choralbearbeitung Choral in Tromba
for: Basso continuo
Single part Basso continuo
Item no.: 231589
for: Basso continuo
Item no.: 156504
for: Basso continuo
Single part Basso continuo
Item no.: 230078
for: Basso continuo
Single part Basso continuo
Item no.: 230006
Kantate zum 1. Weihnachtsfeiertag
for: Basso continuo
Single part Basso continuo
Item no.: 234668
BuxWV 104
Einzelstimme B.c.
for: Basso continuo
Single part Basso continuo
Item no.: 234412
for: Basso continuo
Single part Basso continuo
Item no.: 229763
aus: Kleine geistliche Konzerte I
mit singbarer englischer Übersetzung
for: Basso continuo
Single part Basso continuo
Item no.: 231800
aus: Des Königs und Propheten Davids 119. Psalm in 11 Stücken (Opus ultimum)
Schluß der Motette "Die Fürsten verfolgen mich ohne Ursach" No. 11 des "Opus ultimum"
for: Basso continuo
Single part Basso continuo
Item no.: 232149
Blessed are all those who fear God
for: Basso continuo
Single part Basso continuo
Item no.: 231725
for: Basso continuo
Single part Basso continuo
Item no.: 229994
Madrigale spirituale
for: Basso continuo
Single part Basso continuo
Item no.: 232065
aus: Kleine geistliche Konzerte I
mit singbarer englischer Übersetzung
for: Basso continuo
Single part Basso continuo
Item no.: 231797
for: Basso continuo
Single part Basso continuo
Item no.: 229733
for: Basso continuo
Single part Basso continuo
Item no.: 229752
for: Basso continuo
Single part Basso continuo
Item no.: 229745
for: Basso continuo
Single part Basso continuo
Item no.: 247591
for: Basso continuo
Item no.: 173677
for: Organ (manuals) [harpsichord]
Music score
Item no.: 119174
aus: Symphoniae Sacrae III
for: Basso continuo
Single part Basso continuo
Item no.: 231889
Frühfassung von SWV 386
for: Basso continuo
Single part Basso continuo
Item no.: 232068
Es ist genug
for: Basso continuo
Single part Basso continuo
Item no.: 232226
aus: Symphoniae Sacrae III
for: Basso continuo
Single part Basso continuo
Item no.: 231931
for: Basso continuo
Single part Basso continuo
Item no.: 230522
Der zwölfjährige Jesus im Tempel. Aus: Symphoniae Sacrae III (1650)
for: Basso continuo
Single part Basso continuo
Item no.: 231883
for: 2 horns, string orchestra, harpsichord
Single parts 1, 2 in C (Flute)
Item no.: 447159
Geistliches Konzert
for: Basso continuo
Single part Basso continuo
Item no.: 232040
for: Basso continuo
Single part Basso continuo
Item no.: 229865
for: Basso continuo
Item no.: 167018
for: Basso continuo
Item no.: 167450
for: Harpsichord
Single part Harpsichord
Item no.: 126835
for: Basso continuo
Item no.: 447098
Geistliches Konzert
for: Basso continuo
Single part Basso continuo
Item no.: 232075
aus: Symphoniae Sacrae III
for: Basso continuo
Single part Basso continuo
Item no.: 231937
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