"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
Henle Urtext Editions
for: Harpsichord [piano]
Music score (Urtext edition)
Item no.: 401124
als Anleitung zum Continuospiel und freien Improvisieren in drei Lehrgängen
Mit 43 Originalsätzen der Generalbassliteratur
for: Organ [harpsichord]
Music lesson book
Item no.: 408255
Dover Piano And Keyboard Editions
for: Harpsichord [piano]
Music score
Item no.: 136169
for: Instrument [voice]
Socks
Item no.: 771398
zum Evangelischen Gesangbuch (Bayern/ Thüringen)
for: Organ [harmonium/harpsichord/piano]
Music score (spiral binding)
Item no.: 562050
Based on historical sources
for: Organ [harpsichord]
Music lesson book
Item no.: 671934
Rhythmische Leseübungen für alle Musiker
Die Grundlagen von leicht bis schwer, für alle Instrumente und Gesang geeignet
for: Instrument [voice]
Music lesson book, online audio
Item no.: 633050
BWV 846–869
Bärenreiter Urtext
for: Piano [harpsichord]
Music score (Urtext edition)
Item no.: 116786
for: Harpsichord [piano]
Music score (Urtext edition)
Item no.: 401329
Breitkopf Urtext Edition
for: Piano [harpsichord/organ]
Music score (Urtext edition)
Item no.: 286099
aus "Das Wohltemperierte Klavier" Teil 1, BWV 846
for: Harpsichord [piano]
Sheet music
Item no.: 1035
Leichte bis mittelschwere Vor-, Zwischen- und Nachspiele
for: Organ [harmonium/harpsichord/piano]
Music score
Item no.: 1317242
Bärenreiter Urtext
for: Piano [harpsichord]
Music score (Urtext edition)
Item no.: 116759
Effektiv üben und unterrichten – stressfrei musizieren
mit Übungen aus Musik-Kinesiologie und Brain-Gym®
for: Instrument [voice]
Study book
Item no.: 658702
Revised Urtext of the New Bach Edition
for: Harpsichord [piano]
Music score (Urtext edition)
Item no.: 116747
Bläsermusik für Orgel (Klavier, Cembalo)
for: Organ manuals [harpsichord/piano]
Music score (spiral binding)
Item no.: 489104
for: Harpsichord [piano]
Music score
Item no.: 214205
without fingering
for: Harpsichord [piano]
Music score (Urtext edition)
Item no.: 664942
The Art of playing the Harpsichord
for: Harpsichord
Music lesson book
Item no.: 284706
Musica per la tastiera
Tastenmusik aus dem 16. und 17. Jahrhundert
Német billentyűs muzsika
for: Piano [harpsichord/organ]
Music score (anthology)
Item no.: 266335
Special edition for the Handel memorial year 2009
Bärenreiter Urtext
for: Piano [harpsichord]
4 music scores (Urtext)
Item no.: 483531
based on works by various masters
for: Piano [harpsichord]
Music score
Item no.: 359898
Dover Piano And Keyboard Editions
for: Harpsichord [piano]
Music score
Item no.: 187657
Napoli 1576
for: Harpsichord
Music score
Item no.: 1011480
Un choix d'exercices et de pièces pour débutants en deux volumes
for: Harpsichord
Music lesson book, demo CD
Item no.: 466494
aus "Pièces de clavecin", Vol. 2, Ordre No. 6
for: Harpsichord [piano]
Item no.: 610535
"Sonate d'Intavolatura per Organo e Cimbalo"
Domenico Zipoli. Orgel- und Cembalowerke 1
for: Organ manuals [harpsichord/piano]
Spielpartitur, Sammelband
Item no.: 196214
Urtext
for: 2 harpsichords [2 pianos]
Piano reduction (Urtext edition)
Item no.: 692285
aus "Pièces de Clavecin, Dix-Huitième Ordre"
for: Harpsichord [piano]
Sheet music
Item no.: 4243
BWV 999
for: Harpsichord [piano]
Sheet music
Item no.: 1047
Gesamtausgabe. Originale Vorworte, Spielanweisungen und Verzierungstabellen
for: Harpsichord
Music score
Item no.: 116109
en deux volumes : Volume 1
Texte français, anglais, allemand et espagnol
for: Harpsichord
Music score (anthology)
Item no.: 584815
Neue Erkenntnisse, alte Weisheiten
Tipps für die Praxis – eine Art Puzzle
for: Instrument [voice]
Study book
Item no.: 122838
Variations for Keyboard instrument
for: Organ manuals [harpsichord/piano]
Music score
Item no.: 762988
Rondeau
aus: "Pièces de Clavecin, Troisième Suite"
for: Harpsichord [piano]
Sheet music
Item no.: 4444
pro pulsandis organis, spinettis, manuchordis etc.
Spiridionis a Monte Carmelo
Tastata – Opere d'intavolatuta d'organo e cimbalo
for: Organ [harpsichord]
Music lesson book
Item no.: 691940
über "Maria durch ein Dornwald ging" op. 45
for: Piano [harpsichord/organ]
Music score
Item no.: 485145
K 1-52
Oeuvres complètes pour clavier, volume 1
Le Pupitre 31
for: Harpsichord
Music score
Item no.: 177108
Ein Handbuch für die Praxis
Der Karriere-Ratgeber zum Üben, Proben, Auftreten und Gesundbleiben
for: Instrument [voice]
Study book
Item no.: 580180
Fingerübungen und Etüden 1571-1760
for: Organ [harpsichord]
Music lesson book
Item no.: 282917
Bärenreiter Urtext
for: Harpsichord [piano]
Music score (Urtext edition)
Item no.: 162932
Le Pupitre - Heugel
for: Harpsichord
Book
Item no.: 239776
from Op. 1, Op. 2, Op. 5
Piano music pre-classicism
for: Harpsichord [piano]
Music score
Item no.: 486232
24 Präludien für Klavier (Orgel/Cembalo)
for: Piano [harpsichord/organ]
Music score
Item no.: 677415
aus dem "Wohltemperierten Klavier" Teil 1
– Urtext –
for: Harpsichord [piano]
Music score (Urtext edition)
Item no.: 420092
(1–44)
for: Harpsichord [piano]
Music score
Item no.: 265340
9 Suiten für Cembalo
for: Harpsichord
Item no.: 352452
Corpus Mensurabilis Musicae 57
for: Harpsichord
Music score (anthology)
Item no.: 580927
Nearly all the Dutch composer's keyboard works including chorale variations, toccatas, fantasies and more
Reprint of Jan Pieterszoon Sweelinck: Werken voor Orgel en Clavecimbel, G. Alsbach & Co. 1943
for: Organ manuals [harpsichord/piano]
Music score
Item no.: 416705
© 2004–2023 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.
Germany
Austria
Switzerland
Netherlands
Belgium
France
Spain
Poland
Italy
Sweden
Portugal
Czech Republic
United Kingdom
