Harpsichord
The harpsichord is a stringed keyboard instrument that originated in the late fourteenth century, distinguished by its mechanism that plucks strings when keys are pressed, producing a bright and resonant sound. It gained immense popularity during the Renaissance and Baroque periods, becoming a staple in the music of the sixteenth to eighteenth centuries, and was commonly found in households across various social classes, from royalty to middle-class merchants. The instrument's design is akin to that of the piano, which emerged later, but the harpsichord offers a unique auditory experience with its higher-pitched tones. Noteworthy composers, including Johann Sebastian Bach, composed significant works for the harpsichord, contributing to its prominence in classical music. However, the invention of the piano in the early 18th century, which allowed for a greater dynamic range, led to a decline in the harpsichord's popularity. By the late 18th century, manufacturers began transitioning to pianos, and the harpsichord largely faded from mainstream use. Despite a brief revival in the early 20th century, its historical significance remains, with a lasting impact on the evolution of keyboard instruments and classical music. Today, the harpsichord is appreciated for its distinctive sound and historical context within music history.
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Harpsichord
A harpsichord is a stringed musical instrument that resembles a piano and is played with a keyboard. Each key is attached to a different string, which is stretched across the instrument's hollow frame. When a player presses a key, a mechanism within the instrument's frame pulls and releases the string, causing a vibration that produces a sound specific to the positioning of the string attached to that key. The harpsichord has a similar structure to a piano but produces a higher pitched sound when played. The harpsichord was a popular instrument during the Renaissance and Baroque eras of music in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. Its usage steadily declined with the emergence of the grand piano in the eighteenth century.
Overview
The harpsichord was invented sometime in the late fourteenth century and quickly became a favored instrument among musicians, technicians, and the public over the next two centuries. Its popularity was made evident by its near ubiquitous presence in the households of practically every class of society. The instrument could be found in the palaces of royalty and nobility, the homes of middle-class merchants, and the orchestra pits of theaters and opera houses. The wealthier classes possessed more ornate versions of the harpsichord that were often decorated with beautiful illustrations. The harpsichord's widespread usage produced a variety of musical arrangements written exclusively for the instrument over the years, ranging from folk songs to opera overtures.
Information about the harpsichord began appearing in historical records around the mid-fifteenth century. In 1460, a cleric named Paulus Paulirinus described the sound of the instrument as sweeter and louder than its predecessor, the clavichord. Between the sixteenth and eighteenth centuries, the instrument became a beloved inclusion in the music world and was prominently featured in the compositions of many great Renaissance and Baroque music writers, most notably German composer Johann Sebastian Bach. Bach wrote his famous Goldberg Variations for the harpsichord in 1741 and became one of the first composers to specialize in the harpsichord concerto, a new genre sweeping across Europe in the early 1700s.
The early eighteenth century also introduced musicians to a new instrument called the piano. Invented by a harpsichord maker named Bartolomeo Cristofori around 1707, the piano's design was rooted in the mechanics of the harpsichord. While experimenting with ways to advance the sounds of the harpsichord, Cristofori ended up creating an entirely new stringed instrument capable of greater musical range. The first real piano was completed in 1721, and over the next few decades, it became the preferred keyboard instrument of musicians. By the 1780s, harpsichord manufacturers began switching to piano manufacturing. Although it was heard sparingly in some works of Classical era composers, the harpsichord gradually lost its prominence and by the nineteenth century faded into obscurity. The harpsichord experienced a short-lived revival in the early twentieth century, with composers such as Manuel de Falla, Francis Poulenc, and Carl Orff composing works written for the instrument. The harpsichord never regained the popularity it once held among the public, however.
Bibliography
"Development of the Piano." Washington University in St. Louis, bayes.wustl.edu/etj/music/m3s.pdf . Accessed 7 Oct. 2016.
"Grand Piano." The Metropolitan Museum of Art, www.metmuseum.org/toah/works-of-art/89.4.1219/. Accessed 7 Oct. 2016.
"The Harpsichord." Iowa State University, www.music.iastate.edu/antiqua/harpsich.htm. Accessed 7 Oct. 2016.
Jones, Richard D. P. The Creative Development of Johann Sebastian Bach, Volume II: 1717–1750. Oxford University Press, 2013.
Kipnis, Igor, editor. The Harpsichord and Clavichord: An Encyclopedia. Routledge, 2007.
Kottick, Edward L. A History of the Harpsichord, Volume 1. Indiana University Press, 2003.
Randel, Don Michael, editor. The Harvard Dictionary of Music. Belknap Press, 2003.
Schott, Howard. Playing the Harpsichord. Dover Publications, 2002.