What is a harpsichord? Photo and description of musical instrument

Those people who are at least a bit connected with music, have heard about such an instrument as the harpsichord. At the moment it is not so popular, but its sound can really fascinate the listener. Still, try to consider the question of what a harpsichord is. What story does he have?

Musical instrument harpsichord

Those who attended lessons in musical history and literature can say with certainty that the harpsichord is an ancient instrument that appeared in the 15th-16th century.

The mechanism of its operation is rather complicated, and the sound is peculiar. In order to understand this, you need to listen to several songs when playing on such an instrument.

For the most part, such a tool can now be found in specialized places, namely in conservatories and musical institutions. All these tools are considered a rarity, and they are played very carefully, with care and caution, since old pinch mechanisms can break.

Music harpsichord today

Few people at the moment can boast that they prefer to listen to music performed on the harpsichord. It takes a little effort to find such kind of audio recordings.

Perhaps this is due to the fact that the instrument sounds unusual for us.

History of the Harpsichord

In order to understand what a harpsichord is, it's worth going a little deeper into his story. This will reveal how it was created.

The musical instrument harpsichord has a rather interesting and dynamic sound. It was created in the XV century. This instrument was structurally significantly different from the clavichord, since each wooden key in it was attached to the string. It was due to this new approach that the harpsichord played quite loudly, which at that time could very surprising people.

Such a tool was created for a large amount of time, since the mechanism that required a separate string for each key had to be executed qualitatively.

The types of such tools can also be different. It could be reduced, like, for example, a piano, and extended - like a piano. It could also have been harpsichords that had several rows of keys, but today it's so hard to see anywhere.

This was done in order to change the strength of sound, depending on what kind of work was to be played.

Next, let's look at how the harpsichord changed from the 15th century. The instrument was constantly improved for a harmonious sound. It means that with its original design, the sound range is only three octaves, then four. After that, more complex forms of the instrument were created, in which there were two or even three tiers of keys.

Switches made it possible to constantly change the sound registers of the instrument, you could even use several registers at the same time. In this case, the harpsichord could act as an independent instrument. One register was used for accompaniment in singing with ensembles and choral collectives.

What is the difference between this kind of instrument?

The first distinguishing feature of such a tool is the keyboard of the harpsichord. Each of us knows what the piano keyboard looks like. She also looked at the harpsichord, only without enamel coating. These were simple wooden polished plates.

Also worth noting that the same type of keyboard and mechanism used by the creators of the instrument, which now bears the name of a piano. It can be said that this is its original version, which has been improved. Over time, the design of the instrument was corrected, the mechanism of attaching the string to the key was changed.

Harpsichord in modern times: where you can hear

A powerful sound and unusual appearance arouse interest in such instrument as harpsichord.

As you can understand, today harpsichord is not so popular instrument, but it is still used by some musicians in order to achieve original sound and to amaze the public. He appears even in modern films and serials. Many watched the series "Hannibal". The main roles were performed by Hugh Dancy, Mads Mikkelsen and Carolyn Davernas. Viewers May note that the hero, who was in the role of Hannibal Lecter, mastered such an unusual art as playing the harpsichord. He noted that the harpsichord sounds have more power. This tool allows you to give the music a new sound.

"When playing the harpsichord" is a film of Soviet cinema. It was released on screens in 1966. It also has a storyline that is associated with such a tool.

The sound of a harpsichord

The sound of the harpsichord is completely different from the music played on other types of instruments. This is determined by the design features of the harpsichord. He has a special sound for each string.

People who have a good ear and corresponding education know that on the piano you can play such chords that require permission. This can be dominant chords, as well as tertzquarts, which must come in tonic (consonant and allowed sound).

On the piano, these chords sound very tense. On an instrument such as a harpsichord, they will be even more discordant. Again, this depends on the fact that each key produces a completely unique sound, but it corresponds to the usual sound pattern.

Harpsichord: photo. Musical instrument in disassembled and assembled form

We have already practically figured out this topic. In order to better understand what a harpsichord is and how it looks, it's worth taking a look at the photo. So you can in detail consider the tool and find out what features it has. In this case, it is important to understand that the harpsichord can be quite simple in its appearance, but its sound is absolutely unique. It is this instrument that has a beautiful timbre that can be used in different directions of classical music.

Let's see how the inside looks like a musical instrument, like a harpsichord. Photos show that he is under his cover. You can see that the harpsichord is also quite complex constructively. In it there are a lot of strings, which were driven into oscillation with a pinch. To do this, use a bird feather or natural leather, fixed on a special rod. It is interesting that each key and string has a special tone.

As you can see, the harpsichord in appearance is quite unremarkable. But at the time when he was only created, he hit the imagination of the public.

Used harpsichord popularity in the XX century. Musicians played on it classical works of different composers.

The result

At the moment, harpsichord is not very popular, and some people do not even know about its existence as a musical instrument. But it is necessary to say that the specific sound peculiar to this instrument is very interesting. It is thanks to him that the music used on the harpsichord sounds so fascinating. It is worthwhile to find records of musical works performed on this instrument, and listen to them.

Alas, the harpsichord is hardly used today as an accompaniment in musical accompaniment. Today other instruments are in great demand - those that sound more melodic and ordinary.

We hope, after reading this article, you learned what a harpsichord is, and saw what it looks like.