"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.
BuxWV 104
Einzelstimme B.c.
for: Basso continuo
Single part Basso continuo
Item no.: 234412
for: Harpsichord
Single part Harpsichord
Item no.: 420090
a-Moll BR-WFB C 14
for: Harpsichord, strings
Violin 2 (orchestral part)
Item no.: 648595
Oster-Dialog aus: Musikalische Andachten
for: Basso continuo
Single part Basso continuo
Item no.: 229737
for: Basso continuo
Cello, double bass (orchestral part)
Item no.: 366401
for: Basso continuo
Single part Basso continuo
Item no.: 641927
for: Basso continuo
Single part Basso continuo
Item no.: 1642681
for: Harpsichord, strings, basso continuo
Viola (orchestral part)
Item no.: 648600
for: Harpsichord
Single part Harpsichord
Item no.: 421653
for: Harpsichord
Cello, double bass (orchestral part)
Item no.: 421593
for: Harpsichord
Single part Harpsichord
Item no.: 421409
for: 4 melodic instruments [keyboard instrument]
Single part tenor
Item no.: 1545428
aus: Symphoniae Sacrae III
for: Basso continuo
Single part Basso continuo
Item no.: 231945
aus: Symphoniae Sacrae III
for: Basso continuo
Single part Basso continuo
Item no.: 231909
Kantate zum 4. Advent
for: Basso continuo
Single part Basso continuo
Item no.: 234634
für Streicher und Basso continuo
for: Harpsichord
Single part (Harpsichord solo)
Item no.: 311618
für Streicher und Basso continuo
for: Harpsichord
Single part(n)
Item no.: 469470
aus: Kleine geistliche Konzerte I
mit singbarer englischer Übersetzung
for: Basso continuo
Single part Basso continuo
Item no.: 231800
for: Basso continuo
Single part Basso continuo
Item no.: 642063
for: Basso continuo
Single part Basso continuo
Item no.: 234292
Es ist genug
for: Basso continuo
Single part Basso continuo
Item no.: 232226
a-Moll BR-WFB C 14
for: Harpsichord, strings
Violin 1 (orchestral part)
Item no.: 648594
for: 2 horns, string orchestra, harpsichord
Viola 1 (orchestral part)
Item no.: 447160
for: Harpsichord [piano], chamber orchestra
Cello, double bass (orchestral part)
Item no.: 1355232
for: Harpsichord [piano], chamber orchestra
Violin 1 (orchestral part)
Item no.: 1355230
for: Harpsichord
Single part Harpsichord
Item no.: 421587
for: Harpsichord
Cello, double bass (orchestral part)
Item no.: 421428
for: Harpsichord
Single part(n)
Item no.: 421427
for: Harpsichord
Single part Harpsichord
Item no.: 421391
for: Harpsichord
Single part Harpsichord
Item no.: 421296
for: Harpsichord
Violin 1 (orchestral part)
Item no.: 421235
Wq 18
Einzelstimme Vc. (Kb.)
for: Harpsichord, strings
Cello, double bass (orchestral part)
Item no.: 424309
aus: Symphoniae Sacrae III
for: Basso continuo
Double bass (orchestral part)
Item no.: 231953
aus: Symphoniae Sacrae III
for: Basso continuo
Single part Basso continuo
Item no.: 231931
aus: Psalmen Davids
for: Basso continuo
Instrumental part 3 (Choir 2)
Item no.: 1160697
for: Harpsichord, piano, orchestra
Viola (orchestral part)
Item no.: 497270
for: Basso continuo
Single part Basso continuo
Item no.: 229757
Deutsches Nunc dimittis II
for: Basso continuo
Single part Basso continuo
Item no.: 232029
for: Basso continuo
Single part Basso continuo
Item no.: 230098
for: Basso continuo
Single part Basso continuo
Item no.: 230083
for: Basso continuo
Violin 2 (orchestral part)
Item no.: 642047
Stuttgarter Schütz-Edition Volume 12
29 motets for 5 to 7 voices and basso continuo (SWV 369–397)
for: Basso continuo
Single part Basso continuo
Item no.: 686813
for: Harpsichord
Single part Harpsichord
Item no.: 421424
for: Harpsichord
Single part Harpsichord
Item no.: 421257
for: Organ [harpsichord]
Single part Basso continuo
Item no.: 329427
aus: Psalmen Davids
for: Basso continuo
Instrumental part 1 (Choir 1)
Item no.: 1160701
aus: Psalmen Davids
for: Basso continuo
Instrumental part 4 (Choir 1)
Item no.: 1160700
for: Basso continuo
Single part Basso continuo
Item no.: 229803