The term clavichord arose from the union of two Latin words: clavis (which translates as “key” ) and chorda (which translates as “string” ). The harpsichord is a musical instrument that, as its name suggests, features strings and also a keyboard .
During the period between the 16th and 18th centuries, the harpsichord was most widely used, and it once again experienced a boom there in the 20th century. What happened at this time is that a great interest in ancient music aroused, which led to the aforementioned musical instrument being “resurrected” again.
On the harpsichord, the keys are levers . When one is pressed, a metal spike known as a tangent , found at the other end of the key, touches the string. The tangent divides the string along its length: one of the parts does not produce sound as it remains in contact with a strip of felt, while the other part generates a sound whose height is determined by the tangent.
No less relevant is establishing that there are, fundamentally, two types of harpsichords:
-The unbound. It also responds to the name independent and is one that has one or two keys per string. Hence, the person who uses the harpsichord to interpret a composition can play as many notes at the same time as established by the aforementioned musical instrument.
-The ligated, which is characterized because it may have up to five keys per string in what is known as chromatic succession.
The sound curve of the harpsichord ends in the short term. This means that, when the tangent leaves the string, the sound ends immediately. The musician has the possibility of performing effects with his fingers by modifying the force he exerts on the key while the tangent remains on the string in question.
Although the sound intensity of the harpsichord is weak , the performer can attack with more or less force and influence the response of the instrument. It should be noted that it is possible for two or more keys to act on the same string, since the vibration is produced in parts.
With a harpsichord you can play compositions written for organs , pianos or harpsichords . In any case, due to the low intensity of its sound, this instrument is not usually used in chamber ensembles.
In the same way, there is another series of interesting data about the clavichord such as the following:
-It is considered to have been created in the 15th century. Specifically, it was shaped in the year 1400.
-Many are the great musicians and composers in history who have used an instrument like this. We are referring to both Mozart and Bach, for example.
-As a general rule, it has a size of 127 centimeters long by 11 centimeters high and 36 centimeters wide. Regarding its weight, it is usually around 18 kilos, approximately.