"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.
"Triple Concerto"
Bärenreiter Urtext
for: Harpsichord, flute, violin, strings, basso continuo
Violin 2 (orchestral part)
Item no.: 817356
"Triple Concerto"
Bärenreiter Urtext
for: Harpsichord, flute, violin, strings, basso continuo
Viola (orchestral part)
Item no.: 817358
"Triple Concerto"
Bärenreiter Urtext
for: Harpsichord, flute, violin, strings, basso continuo
Single part Cello (Double bass/Violone)
Item no.: 817352
Praeclassica
for: Harpsichord
Single part Harpsichord
Item no.: 421434
aus dem "Wohltemperierten Klavier" Teil 1
– Urtext –
for: Harpsichord [piano]
Music score (Urtext edition)
Item no.: 420092
über "Maria durch ein Dornwald ging" op. 45
for: Piano [harpsichord/organ]
Music score
Item no.: 485145
Praeclassica
for: Harpsichord
Single part(n)
Item no.: 421306
for: Harpsichord, strings, basso continuo
Violin 1 (orchestral part)
Item no.: 173890
for: Harpsichord, strings, basso continuo
Viola (orchestral part)
Item no.: 173892
for: Harpsichord, strings, basso continuo
Cello, double bass (orchestral part)
Item no.: 173893
aus "Pièces de clavecin", Vol. 2, Ordre No. 6
for: Harpsichord [piano]
Item no.: 610535
for: Harpsichord, strings, basso continuo
Violin 2 (orchestral part)
Item no.: 173891
for: Harpsichord, flute, violin, strings, basso continuo
Single part Violone [Double bass]
Item no.: 341084
(Set for the ABRSM Syllabus 2019–2020)
for: Piano [harpsichord]
Music score
Item no.: 776394
for: Harpsichord
Book (lexicon)
Item no.: 1678455
1727 / 1738
for: Harpsichord [piano]
Item no.: 476196
for: Harpsichord [piano]
Item no.: 241413
for: Harpsichord
Score
Item no.: 1682230
for: Harpsichord
Music score
Item no.: 1667641
for: Piano [harpsichord]
Music score (Urtext edition)
Item no.: 1558306
Urtext Edition without fingering
for: Piano [harpsichord]
Music score (Urtext edition)
Item no.: 1558308
Urtext Edition without fingering
for: Piano [harpsichord]
Music score (Urtext edition)
Item no.: 1558305
Für Klavier oder Cembalo. Erstmalig veröffentlicht von A. Kranz
for: Harpsichord [piano]
Item no.: 418879
for: 4 harpsichords, strings, basso continuo
Single part harpsichord 2
Item no.: 328041
Vol. 01: Accord Des 3 Sons 1A Textes
for: Basso continuo
Music score
Item no.: 479766
aus "Das Alexanderfest"
for: Harpsichord
Single part Harpsichord
Item no.: 1658870
for: 4 harpsichords, strings, basso continuo
Single part harpsichord 1
Item no.: 328040
for: 4 harpsichords, strings, basso continuo
Single part harpsichord 3
Item no.: 328042
Thema und sechs Variationen für Orgel (Cembalo/Klavier)
auf die Melodie von Alfred Hans Zoller
for: Organ manuals [harpsichord/piano]
Music score
Item no.: 682549
für Orgel oder Cembalo
for: Organ [harpsichord]
Item no.: 685683
Edition without fingering
for: Piano [harpsichord]
Music score (Urtext edition)
Item no.: 1559395
Edition without fingering
for: Piano [harpsichord]
Music score (Urtext edition)
Item no.: 1559396
Orgelpartita
for: Organ manuals [harpsichord/piano]
Music score
Item no.: 692673
for: Piano [harpsichord]
Music score (Urtext edition)
Item no.: 1559398
Edition without fingering
for: Piano [harpsichord]
Music score (Urtext edition)
Item no.: 1559394
ars instrumentalis 026
for: Harpsichord
Single part Harpsichord
Item no.: 1664276
for: Harpsichord
Music score
Item no.: 695374
Variations for Keyboard instrument
for: Organ manuals [harpsichord/piano]
Music score
Item no.: 762988
Dernière œuvre de Bach pour le clavecin – Argumentation
for: Harpsichord [piano]
Book (softcover)
Item no.: 247715
inspired by Johann Sebastian Bach
for: Harpsichord [piano]
Music score
Item no.: 1479679
for: Harpsichord
Single part Harpsichord
Item no.: 430333
für zwei Cembali, Streicher und Basso continuo
for: 2 harpsichords, strings, basso continuo
Single part harpsichord 2
Item no.: 294071
für zwei Cembali, Streicher und Basso continuo
for: 2 harpsichords, strings, basso continuo
Single part harpsichord 1
Item no.: 294070
Jazz Scales & Patterns in all 12 Keys
Phrase like a pro!
for: Instrument [voice]
Music lesson book
Item no.: 493356
Book D
Bastien's Invitation to Music
for: Instrument [voice]
Music lesson book
Item no.: 175467
for: 2 harpsichords, strings, basso continuo
Single part harpsichord 1
Item no.: 188603
for: 2 harpsichords, strings, basso continuo
Single part harpsichord 2
Item no.: 188135
Edited from the sources
Wiener Urtext Edition
for: Piano [harpsichord]
Music score
Item no.: 223746
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