Harpsichord

The harpsichord is a member of the board zithers (Hornbostel–Sachs 314.122-6-8). It dates back to 1500. Listen to 4 recordings and learn how it makes its sound.

Listen to the harpsichord

Bach C Major Prelude Equal

2:02CC BY-SA 3.0Wikimedia Commons

2:02

J.S. Bach's Invention 8 (BWV 779) on harpsichord

1:02Public domainWikimedia Commons

1:02

Jeremiah Clarke - Prince of Denmarks March Harpsichord

1:48CC BY-SA 3.0by FehufangaWikimedia Commons

1:48

Handel - Concerto for Organ Op. 4 No. 4 in F major HWV 292 - 1. Allegro (Stanley Roper)

4:28Public domainWikimedia Commons

4:28

Tip: press play to see the sound's live frequency spectrum in blue over the waveform.

How the harpsichord makes its sound

In the Hornbostel–Sachs system, which classifies instruments by how they produce sound, the harpsichord belongs to the board zithers: strings are stretched across a flat board or box – the family of the piano, harpsichord and hammered dulcimer.

More broadly it is one of the chordophones (string instruments), where sound comes from vibrating strings, amplified by a resonating body.

Press play above and watch the spectrum: the evenly spaced peaks are harmonics, and their relative strength is what gives the instrument its character.

From Wikipedia

A harpsichord is a keyboard instrument that makes its sound by plucking a set of strings. In a harpsichord, depressing a key raises its back end within the instrument, which in turn lifts one or more jacks, each a thin strip of wood holding a small plectrum made from quill or plastic; each plectrum plucks a single string. The strings are under tension on a soundboard, which is mounted in a wooden case; the soundboard amplifies the vibrations from the strings so that the listeners can hear them. Harpsichord often include more than one choir of strings. Various devices are used to select which choir will sound when playing; these can include simple levers, or in more elaborate instruments the deployment of more than one keyboard.