French Harpsichord
Italian Harpsichord
Two-Manual English Harpsichord
Flemish Harpsichord
Notice the ornate paintings on the inside and outside of the harpsichord. The earliest of the modern day harpsichords were produced by the Flemish.
Parts of a
Harpsichord
Picture of
The Harpsichord
Key-to-String Mechanism
Harpsichord
Keyboard
Notice that the
key colors are just the reverse of the modern piano.
Harpsichord Strings
The strings of a harpsichord are grouped together, by tone, in choirs. There is a 4' (Please note: the apostrophe after the "4" means "foot.") choir and an 8' choir. The 8' choir is the normal tones while the 4' choir is an octave higher. What do we mean by 4' and 8'? 4' refers to a pitch from which, if sounded on an organ, middle C would be emitted from a pipe about four feet long while 8' refers to a pitch which, if sounded on an organ, middle C would be emitted from a pipe about 8 feet long.
More Information
Want to know more about harpsichords? Then, here are some great links - some of which we've used as references for the information presented here on this page:
