"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.
aus: Six Fugues pour L’Orgue ou Le Clavecin, op. 6
Paris, 1777
for: Organ [harpsichord]
Sheet music
Item no.: 6065
From "The Sufferings of the Queen of France" (No.3/4)
for: Harpsichord [piano]
Sheet music
Item no.: 3485
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
a-Moll, BWV 784
for: Harpsichord [piano]
Sheet music
Item no.: 3305
from "Ye Tuneful Muses"
Z. T681
for: Harpsichord [piano]
Sheet music
Item no.: 4117
aus: „Six Fugues pour les Orgues ou le Clavecin“
for: Organ [harpsichord]
Sheet music
Item no.: 4569
for: Organ (manuals) [harpsichord]
Music score
Item no.: 119174
for: Organ [harpsichord]
Sheet music
Item no.: 4364
g-Moll
for: Harpsichord [piano]
Sheet music
Item no.: 2555
d-Moll
for: Harpsichord [piano]
Sheet music
Item no.: 3371
aus "Sei Fughe e Preludie per il Clavicembalo ò Organo", op. 6
for: Organ [harpsichord]
Sheet music
Item no.: 6364
aus: "Recueil des differentes pièces pour clavecin"
Mannheim, 1787
for: Harpsichord [piano]
Sheet music
Item no.: 6444
c-Moll, BWV 773
for: Harpsichord [piano]
Sheet music
Item no.: 1439
From "The Sufferings of the Queen of France" (No.1/2)
for: Harpsichord [piano]
Sheet music
Item no.: 3477
K. 87 (Longo 33)
for: Harpsichord [piano]
Sheet music
Item no.: 3966
for: Organ [harpsichord]
Sheet music
Item no.: 4587
aus dem Tabulaturbuch von J. V. Eckelt, 1690–1692
for: Organ (manuals) [harpsichord]
Sheet music
Item no.: 5706
for: Organ [harpsichord]
Sheet music
Item no.: 2707
BWV 919
for: Harpsichord [piano]
Sheet music
Item no.: 1036
aus dem Fitzwilliam Virginal Book (nach J. Dowland)
for: Harpsichord [piano]
Sheet music
Item no.: 5736
aus: Huit Fugues pour le Clavecin ou l'orgue
for: Piano [harpsichord/organ]
Sheet music
Item no.: 3049
aus: Collectaneorum musicorum, Wien 1718
for: Organ [harpsichord]
Score, parts (pdf download)
Item no.: 6167
fürs Clavier
for: Piano [harpsichord]
Sheet music
Item no.: 4982
for: Harpsichord [piano]
Sheet music
Item no.: 2889
aus "Nouveau Livre de Noels pour l’Orgue et le Clavecin"
for: Organ [harpsichord]
Sheet music
Item no.: 3220
K. 9 (Longo 413)
for: Harpsichord [piano]
Sheet music
Item no.: 3193
aus: Huit Fugues pour le Clavecin ou l'orgue
for: Piano [harpsichord/organ]
Sheet music
Item no.: 3010
BWV 801
for: Harpsichord [piano]
Sheet music
Item no.: 1099
K. 159 (Longo 104)
for: Harpsichord [piano]
Sheet music
Item no.: 1964
aus: Der wohl-unterwiesene Clavier-Schüler
Augsburg, 1755
for: Piano [harpsichord]
Sheet music
Item no.: 5426
K 398
for: Harpsichord [piano]
Sheet music
Item no.: 4819
aus: Clavierübungen, Erste Sammlung
Berlin 1761
for: Harpsichord [piano]
Sheet music
Item no.: 3020
aus: Huit Fugues pour le Clavecin ou l'orgue
for: Organ [harpsichord]
Sheet music
Item no.: 3839
C-Dur, BWV 772
for: Harpsichord [piano]
Sheet music
Item no.: 1438
aus: Six Fugues pour L’Orgue ou Le Clavecin, op. 6
Paris, 1777
for: Organ [harpsichord]
Sheet music
Item no.: 5815
faist sur ma Mort future la quelle se jove avec discretion
for: Harpsichord
Sheet music
Item no.: 1124
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
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