"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: Basso continuo
Single part Basso continuo
Item no.: 229745
for: Harpsichord [piano], chamber orchestra
Violin 2 (orchestral part)
Item no.: 1355231
for: 2 horns, string orchestra, harpsichord
Violin 2 (orchestral part)
Item no.: 1355193
for: Harpsichord, strings, basso continuo
Violin 2 (orchestral part)
Item no.: 648599
for: Harpsichord
Single part Harpsichord
Item no.: 261192
for: Harpsichord
Single part Harpsichord
Item no.: 421635
for: Harpsichord
Single part Harpsichord
Item no.: 421629
for: Harpsichord
Violin 2 (orchestral part)
Item no.: 421584
for: Harpsichord
Violin 2 (orchestral part)
Item no.: 421431
for: Harpsichord
Violin 2 (orchestral part)
Item no.: 421426
for: Harpsichord
Single part Harpsichord
Item no.: 421404
for: Harpsichord, piano, orchestra
Cello, double bass (orchestral part)
Item no.: 497271
Der reiche Mann und der arme Lazarus. Evangeliendialog
for: Basso continuo
Single part Basso continuo
Item no.: 232133
aus: Geistliche Chormusik
mit singbarer englischer Übersetzung
for: Basso continuo
Single part Basso continuo
Item no.: 231842
for: Basso continuo
Single part Basso continuo
Item no.: 229999
for: Basso continuo
Single part Viola
Item no.: 642028
for: Harpsichord
Single part (Harpsichord solo)
Item no.: 421532
for: 2 horns, string orchestra, harpsichord
Viola 2 (orchestral part)
Item no.: 447161
for: Harpsichord, strings, basso continuo
Violin 1 (orchestral part)
Item no.: 648598
for: Harpsichord
Single part Harpsichord
Item no.: 421622
for: Harpsichord
Single part Harpsichord
Item no.: 421302
for: Harpsichord, strings
Score
Item no.: 125281
for: Organ [harpsichord]
Sheet music
Item no.: 5705
for: Organ [harpsichord]
Music score
Item no.: 1203397
Variationen über Französische Weihnachtslieder
for: Organ (manuals) [harpsichord]
Music score
Item no.: 145299
for: Organ [harpsichord]
Sheet music
Item no.: 3220
for: Organ [harpsichord]
Sheet music
Item no.: 3545
for: Organ manuals [harpsichord/piano]
Music score
Item no.: 557030
for: Organ [harpsichord]
Music score
Item no.: 164593
for: Organ (manuals) [harpsichord]
Item no.: 241626
for: Organ manuals [harpsichord/piano]
Item no.: 177743
for: Organ manuals [harpsichord/piano]
Music score
Item no.: 682549
for: Organ [harpsichord]
Sheet music
Item no.: 3253
for: Organ (manuals) [harpsichord]
Music score
Item no.: 287771
aus dem Tabulaturbuch des Henricus Beginiker
for: Harpsichord [piano]
Music score
Item no.: 154112
(Facsimile)
for: Organ (manuals) [harpsichord]
Item no.: 289460
for Organ
for: Organ manuals [harpsichord/piano]
Music score (Urtext edition)
Item no.: 658343
für Orgel (Cembalo)
for: Organ [harpsichord]
Item no.: 336182
for: Organ [harpsichord]
Sheet music
Item no.: 4111
Fantasie über das Weihnachtslied "Stille Nacht" von Franz Xaver Gruber
für Cembalo solo
for: Harpsichord
Music score
Item no.: 675543
aus dem "Musikalischen Zeitvertreib"
for: Piano [harpsichord/organ]
Music score
Item no.: 662727
for: Organ [harpsichord]
Item no.: 579777
for: Basso continuo
Item no.: 464613
Weihnachtskonzert
for: Organ manuals [harpsichord/piano]
Music score
Item no.: 280785
for: Organ [harpsichord]
Sheet music
Item no.: 4104
for: Organ manuals [harpsichord/piano]
Music score
Item no.: 382816
for: Organ (manuals) [harpsichord]
Item no.: 120797
for: Organ [harpsichord]
Music score
Item no.: 382442
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