"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.
Z. 653
for: Harpsichord [piano]
Sheet music
Item no.: 4273
Hob. XVI:II
for: Harpsichord [piano]
Sheet music
Item no.: 2849
for: Basso continuo
Item no.: 464613
Z 717
for: Organ [harpsichord]
Sheet music
Item no.: 3128
for: Organ [harpsichord]
Sheet music
Item no.: 2649
for: Organ [harpsichord]
Sheet music
Item no.: 3914
for: Organ [harpsichord]
Sheet music
Item no.: 3941
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.: 5651
aus: "Der wohl-unterwiesene Clavier-Schüler"
Augsburg, 1755
for: Organ [harpsichord]
Sheet music
Item no.: 4442
for: Harpsichord [organ]
Sheet music
Item no.: 2184
BWV 934
aus "Sechs Praeludien für Anfänger auf dem Clavier"
for: Harpsichord [piano]
Sheet music
Item no.: 3859
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: Piano [harpsichord]
Music score
Item no.: 734244
for: Piano [harpsichord]
Music score
Item no.: 756273
for: Harpsichord [piano]
Sheet music
Item no.: 4560
for: Organ [harpsichord]
Sheet music
Item no.: 2545
aus "Il secondo libro di toccate d’intavolatura di cembalo e organo"
for: Organ [harpsichord]
Sheet music
Item no.: 2900
BuxWV 171
for: Organ [harpsichord]
Sheet music
Item no.: 3150
aus "Pièces de Clavecin, Dix-Septième Ordre"
for: Harpsichord [piano]
Sheet music
Item no.: 4285
for: Organ [harpsichord]
Sheet music
Item no.: 3270
From "The Sufferings of the Queen of France" (No. 5/6)
for: Harpsichord [piano]
Sheet music
Item no.: 3490
g-Moll, BWV 782
for: Harpsichord [piano]
Sheet music
Item no.: 6189
aus: "Modulatio organica super Magnificat octo ecclesiasticis tonis respondens"
München, 1686
for: Organ [harpsichord]
Sheet music
Item no.: 3983
aus: VIII Sonate per cembalo, op. 1
for: Piano [harpsichord]
Sheet music
Item no.: 5749
BWV 943
for: Organ [harpsichord]
Sheet music
Item no.: 2262
aus: "Tabulatura / Darinnen Etzliche Präludia, Toccaten und Couranten uff das Clavir gesetzt"
Leipzig, 1645
for: Organ [harpsichord]
Sheet music
Item no.: 5272
aus: "Six Fugues pour les Orgues ou le Clavecin", Amsterdam 1770
for: Organ (manuals) [harpsichord]
Sheet music
Item no.: 4682
Amsterdam, 1671
for: Organ [harpsichord]
Sheet music
Item no.: 3691
BWV 999
for: Harpsichord [piano]
Sheet music
Item no.: 1047
aus: "Tabulatura / Darinnen Etzliche Präludia, Toccaten und Couranten uff das Clavir gesetzt"
Leipzig, 1645
for: Organ [harpsichord]
Sheet music
Item no.: 5273
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