Definition

Noun: A musical instrument with a keyboard, historically significant in the Renaissance and Baroque periods. Sound is produced when its keys are pressed, causing a mechanism to pluck the strings with a small plectrum (often made of quill or leather). It is distinct from the piano, where strings are struck by hammers.

Examples

• The ensemble's performance featured a beautiful harpsichord continuo.
• She specializes in playing Baroque music on the harpsichord.
• The museum has a collection of antique harpsichords.

Advanced Usage

• "Harpsichordist": A musician who plays the harpsichord.
  • The concert will feature a renowned harpsichordist.
• In music theory and history, the term is used to describe a specific timbre and style of accompaniment, often referred to as "harpsichord continuo" or "basso continuo".
  • The piece is written for violin and harpsichord continuo.

Variants and Related Words

• Clavichord (noun): Another early keyboard instrument where strings are struck by metal tangents, producing a softer, more intimate sound than the harpsichord.
• Virginal (noun): A smaller, rectangular form of the harpsichord, popular in the 16th and 17th centuries.
• Spinet (noun): A small, harpsichord-like instrument with strings set at an angle to the keyboard.

Synonyms

• Cembalo (noun): Another name for the harpsichord, commonly used in Italian and German musical contexts.
• Clavier (noun): A general historical term for any stringed keyboard instrument, which can include the harpsichord, clavichord, and early piano.

Related Phrases

• "Figured bass": A musical notation system indicating chords, intervals, and non-chord tones, which a keyboard player (often a harpsichordist or organist) uses to improvise an accompaniment.
  • The harpsichord player realized the figured bass beautifully during the sonata.

Noun

1. a clavier with strings that are plucked by plectra mounted on pivots