"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.
Part 1: BWV 846-869
Henle Urtext Edition
for: Piano [harpsichord]
Music score (Urtext edition)
Item no.: 401105
for: Harpsichord [piano]
Music score (Urtext edition)
Item no.: 692282
Toccaten IVIII
for: Organ manuals [harpsichord/piano]
Music score (Urtext edition)
Item no.: 134915
Bärenreiter Urtext
with Fingerings
for: Harpsichord [piano]
Music score (Urtext edition)
Item no.: 172511
BWV 870-893
for: Piano [harpsichord]
Music score (Urtext edition)
Item no.: 401125
Canzonen I VI / Capriccio / Battaglia
for: Piano [harpsichord/organ]
Item no.: 134917
First Part of the Clavier Übung
Bärenreiter Urtext
for: Harpsichord [piano]
Music score (Urtext edition)
Item no.: 116748
Fingerübungen und Etüden 1571-1760
for: Organ [harpsichord]
Music lesson book
Item no.: 282917
Gegenwartsmusik
for: Harpsichord
Buch
Item no.: 1193606
Edizione Critica
for: Harpsichord [piano]
Music score (Urtext edition)
Item no.: 767495
Edizione critica
for: Harpsichord [piano]
Music score (Urtext edition)
Item no.: 257377
Edizione critica
for: Harpsichord [piano]
Music score (Urtext edition)
Item no.: 189530
for: Harpsichord [piano]
Music score
Item no.: 214205
The Nuts and Bolts of Music Improvisation
for: Instrument [voice]
Book (softcover)
Item no.: 681777
Based on 16th to 18th-century sources
for: Harpsichord
Music lesson book
Item no.: 355053
for: Harpsichord [piano]
Music score
Item no.: 138800
Critical Edition
for: Harpsichord [piano]
Music score (Urtext edition)
Item no.: 191140
Un choix d'exercices et de pièces pour débutants en deux volumes
for: Harpsichord
Music lesson book
Item no.: 466495
Edizione critica
for: Harpsichord [piano]
Music score (Urtext edition)
Item no.: 160070
Essercizi per gravicembalo
for: Harpsichord [piano]
Music score
Item no.: 779029
Book D
Bastien's Invitation to Music
for: Instrument [voice]
Music lesson book
Item no.: 175467
No.154-213
Edizione critica
for: Harpsichord [piano]
Music score (Urtext edition)
Item no.: 257378
Jazz Scales & Patterns in all 12 Keys
Phrase like a pro!
for: Instrument [voice]
Music lesson book
Item no.: 493356
Alfred masterwork edition
for: Harpsichord [piano]
Music score
Item no.: 637038
Un choix d'exercices et de pièces pour débutants en deux volumes
for: Harpsichord
Music lesson book, demo CD
Item no.: 466494
Le Pupitre - Heugel
for: Harpsichord
Book
Item no.: 239776
Sonate 274-333
Edizione Critica
for: Harpsichord [piano]
Music score (Urtext edition)
Item no.: 191368
Special edition for the Handel memorial year 2009
Bärenreiter Urtext
for: Piano [harpsichord]
4 music scores (Urtext)
Item no.: 483531
for all beginning Students
89 Cards with all the Notes, Symbols and Terms needed for the first 2 Years
for: Instrument [voice]
Cards (teaching material)
Item no.: 668968
120 cards for any late elementary music student
for: Instrument [voice]
Cards (teaching material)
Item no.: 474560
Sonate 334-397
Edizione critica
for: Harpsichord [piano]
Music score (Urtext edition)
Item no.: 257379
Bärenreiter Urtext
for: Harpsichord
3 music scores
Item no.: 142410
France 1660-1720
for: Harpsichord
Item no.: 446712
for: Harpsichord
Music lesson book
Item no.: 154075
Its Style, Significance and Influence
for: Organ [harpsichord]
Book (Hardcover)
Item no.: 227700
en deux volumes : Volume 1
Texte français, anglais, allemand et espagnol
for: Harpsichord
Music score (anthology)
Item no.: 584815
A Historical Guide to the Basics
for: Organ [harpsichord]
Music lesson book
Item no.: 155243
Based on historical sources
for: Organ [harpsichord]
Music lesson book
Item no.: 671934
Edizione critica
for: Harpsichord [piano]
Music score (Urtext edition)
Item no.: 388953
Chordal schemes for the introduction to the practice of accompaniment in the 17th and 18th centuries on Lute, Theorbo, Guitar, Harp and Keyboard instruments
for: Basso continuo
Music lesson book
Item no.: 1557090
Sämtliche Werke für Clavierinstrumente Band 2
for: Harpsichord [piano]
Music score
Item no.: 487101
for: Harpsichord
Music score
Item no.: 648620
Keyboard Woks Part, 4
Suites and Variations
for: Harpsichord
Music score (hardcover)
Item no.: 765791
for: Harpsichord [piano]
Music score
Item no.: 687152
Edition Schott
for: Piano [harpsichord/organ]
Sheet music
Item no.: 728629
from Op. 1, Op. 2, Op. 5
Piano music pre-classicism
for: Piano [harpsichord]
Sheet music
Item no.: 743943
aus "Il secondo libro di toccate d’intavolatura di cembalo e organo"
for: Organ [harpsichord]
Sheet music
Item no.: 2900
Musica Britannica 55
for: Piano [harpsichord/organ]
Music score (anthology)
Item no.: 365753
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