Harpsichord

A harpsichord is a keyboard instrument that makes sound by plucking strings. When a key is pressed, it lifts a small wooden strip with a tiny piece of quill or plastic. This strip gently plucks a string. The strings are stretched tight on a wooden soundboard, which helps make the sound loud enough for people to hear. Harpsichords can have several sets of strings. Players can choose which set to use with special levers or extra keyboards.

The harpsichord was very popular during the Renaissance and Baroque music periods. It was often used to accompany singers and other instruments, or it could be played alone. By the late 1700s, the piano became more popular, and the harpsichord was mostly replaced. However, in the 1900s, people began using harpsichords again to play old music the way it was originally written, and they also started using them in new kinds of music.

History

Main article: History of the harpsichord

The harpsichord was likely created in the late 1300s. Early versions were small and had a high pitch. By the 1500s, Italian makers had made a design with thin walls and brass strings. In the Southern Netherlands, the Ruckers family built harpsichords with heavier construction and stronger steel strings, some with two keyboards for changing pitch.

French makers, like the Blanchet family and Pascal Taskin, made harpsichords with double keyboards for more musical options. In England, firms such as Kirkman and Shudi made powerful harpsichords. German builders like Hieronymus Albrecht Hass added special string groups, and Michael Mietke’s instruments are models for modern builders.

Around 1700, the piano was invented by Bartolomeo Cristofori. Unlike the harpsichord, the piano lets players control how loud each note is. Over time, the piano became more popular, and by the late 1700s, it mostly replaced the harpsichord. The harpsichord almost disappeared in the 1800s, except in opera for recitative. In the 1900s, efforts to bring back the harpsichord led to new designs based on older traditions, and today, historically inspired harpsichords are common.

Mechanism

A harpsichord makes sound by plucking its strings. When you press a key, the key moves and lifts a small wooden strip called a jack. The jack holds a tiny piece called a plectrum, which might be made from bird quill or plastic. The plectrum hits a string to make it vibrate and produce a note.

When you let go of the key, the jack moves back down, and the plectrum moves past the string without hitting it again. A soft felt piece on the jack then stops the string’s vibration, ending the note. This simple action is what lets the harpsichord create its beautiful sound.

• The keylever is a simple pivot that moves when you press a key.

• The jack is a thin piece of wood that moves up and down to pluck the string. It stays in place thanks to strips of wood called registers.

• Inside the jack is the plectrum, which is the part that actually touches the string. Old harpsichords used bird quill, but many today use plastic like delrin or celcon.

• Pressing the key lifts the jack, and the plectrum plucks the string to make a sound.

• The jack stops moving up thanks to a soft rail called the jackrail, which helps prevent loud noises.

• When the key is released, the jack moves back down, and the plectrum passes the string without hitting it again.

• Once the jack is all the way down, the felt damper touches the string, stopping the note.

Strings, tuning, and soundboard

Each string is wrapped around a tuning pin at the end closest to the player. By turning the tuning pin with a wrench or tuning hammer, you can make the string tighter or looser so it plays the right note. The tuning pins are held in place in a wooden plank called the pinblock.

The string then moves over a sharp edge called the nut, which helps set the part of the string that will vibrate to make sound. At the other end, the string goes over another sharp edge called the bridge. The bridge sits on the soundboard, a thin piece of wood—often made of spruce or fir—that helps turn the string’s vibrations into sound we can hear. The string is finally attached to a hitchpin, which holds it in place to the instrument’s case.

Multiple manuals and choirs of strings

Harpsichords can have more than one string for each note. These extra strings are called "choirs." Having several choirs helps a player change the volume and the sound. When a key is pressed, it can make more than one string vibrate, which makes the sound louder. The sound can also change because different choirs can sound different.

Sometimes, two strings tuned to the same note are played together. This makes the note louder and richer. If the strings are tuned an octave apart, the ear blends them into one richer sound.

Harpsichords that have more than one keyboard offer even more control. Each keyboard can be set to play a different set of strings, letting the player switch between different sounds or pitches.

Other ways to change the sound include using a special stop that mutes the strings to mimic the sound of a lute. Some early harpsichords had a "short octave" system for the lowest notes.

Case

The wooden case holds important parts of the harpsichord together, like the soundboard, strings, and keyboard. It keeps its shape even with the strong pull of the strings. Some harpsichords are light, while others are much heavier.

The case also makes the harpsichord look nice and protects it. Big harpsichords stand alone on legs like furniture. Smaller ones were kept in protective cases and played on tables. Over time, harpsichords were built with a single case.

Harpsichords usually have a lid that can be opened, a cover for the keyboard, and a music stand for sheet music.

They can be decorated in many ways, with plain paint, printed paper, leather, velvet, or even fancy painted artwork.

Variants

Virginals

Main article: Virginals

Virginals are a smaller and simpler type of harpsichord. They have a rectangle shape and one string for each note. The strings run parallel to the keyboard.

Spinet

Main article: Spinet

A spinet is a type of harpsichord where the strings are at an angle to the keyboard. The strings are close together, so the moving parts are placed between pairs of strings. The moving parts face opposite directions and pluck a string next to the gap.

Clavicytherium

Main article: Clavicytherium

A clavicytherium is a harpsichord where the soundboard and strings face the player, like an upright piano. The moving parts move horizontally, making the actions more complex.

Ottavino

Ottavini are small spinets or virginals at four-foot pitch. They were popular as home instruments in Italy until the 19th century. In the Low Countries, an ottavino was sometimes stored under the soundboard of a larger 8' virginal. It could be taken out and placed on top, creating a double manual instrument.

Pedal harpsichord

Sometimes, harpsichords had an extra set of strings played by a foot-operated pedal keyboard. These strings trigger the plucking of the lowest-pitched keys. Before 1980, most pedal harpsichords were based on 19th-century designs. The pedals can add to the sound of any piece played on the instrument, as shown in albums by E. Power Biggs.

Other variants

The archicembalo, built in the 16th century, had a special keyboard layout for different tuning systems. More common were instruments with split sharps.

The folding harpsichord could be folded to make it more compact for travel.

Compass and pitch range

Earlier harpsichords often had smaller ranges than later ones. The largest harpsichords have a range of just over five octaves, while the smallest have under four. Some small keyboards have extra notes in the lower range with a "short octave".

The usual pitch range for a 5-octave harpsichord is F₁–F₆ (FF–f‴). Tuning pitch is often set to A₄ = 415 Hz, a little lower than the modern standard of A₄ = 440 Hz. For French baroque music, it is sometimes played at A = 392 Hz. See Jean-Philippe Rameau's Treatise on Harmony for more information. Today, tuning usually starts with setting an A note, but historically it would start from a C or an F. The harpsichord uses the bass clef (F clef).

Some modern harpsichords have keyboards that can move sideways. This lets the player align the mechanism with strings tuned at either A = 415 Hz or A = 440 Hz. If a tuning other than equal temperament is used, the instrument needs to be retuned after moving the keyboard.

Decoration

Harpsichords were often beautifully decorated. In the 18th century, French harpsichords had brightly painted cases, while English ones were covered with fancy wood designs. Italian harpsichords sometimes had detailed carvings on their cases. The soundboards, which help make the sound loud, could even have paintings on them, like pictures of flowers or animals.

The keys on harpsichords were sometimes made differently from pianos. Instead of white keys and black keys like today, some harpsichords had white sharps and black naturals.

Music

Most harpsichord music was written during the Renaissance and Baroque periods. The first solo harpsichord music appeared in the early 1500s. Famous composers like William Byrd wrote beautiful pieces for the instrument.

During the Baroque era, composers such as François Couperin, Domenico Scarlatti, Georg Friedrich Händel, and J. S. Bach created wonderful harpsichord works. Bach's The Well-Tempered Clavier and Goldberg Variations are still loved today.

Later, composers like Joseph Haydn and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart also wrote for the harpsichord, though they later turned to the piano. In the 20th century, the harpsichord became popular again, with new pieces written by composers like Francis Poulenc and Manuel de Falla.

Main article: Contemporary harpsichord