"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: Harpsichord [piano]
Sheet music
Item no.: 2238
aus "Divertimento Cembalo Solo oder monatliche Belustigungen des Claviers, bestehend aus Sonaten, Sonatinen, Mourquien, Menuetten und Trios &c."
(Kopenhagen, 1765)
for: Harpsichord [piano]
Sheet music
Item no.: 2805
aus: "Sonate di Gravicembalo"
for: Harpsichord [piano]
Sheet music
Item no.: 5311
aus: VI Ouverturen nebst zween Folgesätzen
for: Harpsichord [piano]
Sheet music
Item no.: 3531
aus der Suite in B-Dur, HWV 434
for: Organ [harpsichord]
Sheet music
Item no.: 3536
for: Organ [harpsichord]
Sheet music
Item no.: 3914
for: Organ [harpsichord]
Sheet music
Item no.: 3941
aus "Sei Fughe e Preludie per il Clavicembalo ò Organo", op. 6
for: Organ [harpsichord]
Sheet music
Item no.: 4263
aus: "Twelve Pieces for the Harpsichord or Piano", op. 10
for: Harpsichord [piano]
Sheet music
Item no.: 4527
Hob. XVI:13
for: Piano [harpsichord]
Sheet music
Item no.: 1126
alla Duodecima in Contrapunto alla Quinta
aus "Die Kunst der Fuge", BWV 1080
for: Piano [harpsichord/organ]
Sheet music
Item no.: 1864
op. 4, Nr. 7
for: Harpsichord [piano]
Sheet music
Item no.: 2729
K. 403 (Longo 470)
for: Harpsichord [piano]
Sheet music
Item no.: 2270
aus: B. Schmid, Tabulatur Buch Von Allerhand außerlesnen Schoenen Lieblichen Praeludijs, Toccaten, Motetten, Canzonetten, Madrigalien vnnd Fugen ...
Straßburg, 1607
for: Organ (manuals) [harpsichord]
Sheet music
Item no.: 5651
aus: Hexachordum Apollinis, Nürnberg 1699
for: Organ [harpsichord]
Sheet music
Item no.: 3598
K. 9 (Longo 413)
for: Harpsichord [piano]
Sheet music
Item no.: 3193
aus: VI Ouverturen nebst zween Folgesätzen
Nürnberg, c. 1745
for: Harpsichord [piano]
Sheet music
Item no.: 5518
Hob. XIV:9
für Cembalo (Klavier), 2 Violinen und Violoncello
for: Harpsichord [piano], 2 violins, cello
Score, parts (pdf download)
Item no.: 1873
aus: Huit Fugues pour le Clavecin ou l'orgue
for: Piano [harpsichord/organ]
Sheet music
Item no.: 3010
K. 141 (Longo 413)
for: Harpsichord [piano]
Sheet music
Item no.: 3307
Schott Piano Classics
for: Piano [harpsichord]
Music score
Item no.: 754313
aus: "Der wohl-unterwiesene Clavier-Schüler"
Augsburg, 1755
for: Organ [harpsichord]
Sheet music
Item no.: 4442
aus: Libro secondo di Toccate, Fantasie, Canzone...
Wien, 1649
for: Harpsichord [organ]
Sheet music
Item no.: 6008
K. 545 / Longo 500
for: Harpsichord [piano]
Sheet music
Item no.: 1285
BWV 801
for: Harpsichord [piano]
Sheet music
Item no.: 1099
K. 159 (Longo 104)
for: Harpsichord [piano]
Sheet music
Item no.: 1964
for: Harpsichord [organ]
Sheet music
Item no.: 2184
K. 55 (Longo 355)
for: Piano [harpsichord]
Sheet music
Item no.: 4614
aus: Der wohl-unterwiesene Clavier-Schüler
Augsburg, 1755
for: Piano [harpsichord]
Sheet music
Item no.: 5426
aus: Pieces de Clavessin
Paris 1705
for: 2 harpsichords [2 pianos]
Score, parts (pdf download)
Item no.: 6127
Piano music pre-classicism
for: Harpsichord [piano]
Music score
Item no.: 760584
aus: Compositioni musicali per il Cembalo, divise in due parti ...
Hamburg, c. 1735
for: Harpsichord [piano]
Sheet music
Item no.: 3595
Sonatas 7 - 12
for: Harpsichord [piano]
Music score
Item no.: 727739
for: Harpsichord, violin, cello
Score
Item no.: 1677385
K 398
for: Harpsichord [piano]
Sheet music
Item no.: 4819
aus: Compositioni musicali per il Cembalo, divise in due parti ...
Hamburg, c. 1735
for: Harpsichord [piano]
Sheet music
Item no.: 4011
Sonatas 1 - 6
for: Harpsichord [piano]
Music score
Item no.: 727748
aus: Musicalischer Parnassus
Augsburg, 1738
for: Piano [harpsichord]
Sheet music
Item no.: 5234
BWV 934
aus "Sechs Praeludien für Anfänger auf dem Clavier"
for: Harpsichord [piano]
Sheet music
Item no.: 3859
Rondeau
aus: "Pièces de Clavecin, Première Suite"
for: Harpsichord [piano]
Sheet music
Item no.: 4343
for: Harpsichord [organ]
Sheet music
Item no.: 2183
Hob. XVII : D1
for: Harpsichord [piano]
Sheet music
Item no.: 2479
for: Harpsichord [piano]
Sheet music
Item no.: 2860
for: Organ [harpsichord]
Sheet music
Item no.: 3072
für zwei Cembali oder Cembalo und Diskantinstrument
aus: Troisiéme Livre de piéces de Clavecin, Paris 1722
for: 2 harpsichords [flute/violin, harpsichord]
Score, parts (pdf download)
Item no.: 6126
aus: Second Livre de piéces de Clavecin, Neuviême Ordre
Paris 1717
for: 2 harpsichords [2 pianos]
Score, parts (pdf download)
Item no.: 6128
aus "Sei Fughe e Preludie per il Clavicembalo ò Organo", op. 6
for: Organ [harpsichord]
Sheet music
Item no.: 4240
aus: "Six Fugues pour L'Orgue ou Le Clavecin", op. 6
Paris, 1777
for: Organ [harpsichord]
Sheet music
Item no.: 5374
© 2004–2024 by Stretta Music. Order and buy sheet music online.
Your specialist for all kinds of sheet music. Online shop, sheet music, music scores and play along for download, books, music stands, music stand lights, accessories.
There is a separate Stretta website for the country Worldwide. If your order is to be delivered to this country, you can switch, so that delivery times and shipping conditions are displayed correctly. Your shopping cart and your customer account will remain the same.
switch to Stretta Music Worldwide
stay on Stretta Music Finland
Germany
Austria
Switzerland
Netherlands
Belgium
France
Luxembourg
Italy
Spain
Portugal
Denmark
Sweden
Poland
Czech Republic
United Kingdom
![DL: G.P. Telemann: Ouverture V, Cembalo [Klavier]](https://www.stretta-music.com/media/images2/18/55/5518.jpg)
