piano/music?
Why do you think composers of this era wrote more for piano than harpsichord? Compare the piano to the expressiveness of the harpsichord in the Baroque era as in Brandenburg Concerto.
Which era are you referring to that produced more piano music than for harpsichord? Baroque? Anyway, the piano wasn’t invented until the early 1700’s when it became a sensation because performers could play it softly or loudly. That’s why it was originally called a pianoforte. Music is all about contrasts, and the piano made it easier.
Categories: piano music
Hi there!
From what I know,
(1) In the piano, depending on how much pressure you put on the keys, the volume differs. This makes no difference on the harpsichord because it uses a plucking mechanism. This difference in pressure means more expressive capabilities. Sustain wise, if you let go of the key of a piano, it starts getting softer immediately. This is not so for a harpsichord (unless you let go after you’ve been pressing for say like nearly a minute). Even if you press the harpsichord key very quickly, and then let go, the tone will ring for as long as if you held your hand on it for 30 seconds.
(2) A piano can play alot louder. If you pair it up with an orchestra or loud instruments it won’t get drowned out. If you listen to the harpsichord in many baroque concerto grossi, you’ll find it’s hard to hear them very well, and that for this reason it suits them to support the bass line or harmony. In order to show off a musician, naturally you would want to play something that makes a bit more noise.
(3) A harpsichord can have more things go wrong with it as the plucking mechanism uses more bits and pieces. I saw this firsthand in a harpsichord concert, where the player had to pull out the plucking devices and some sort of panel, then keep trying to fit something in. It delayed the concert for around 20 mins. Also I could see her constantly retuning. I’m not sure if that was because of that particular harpsichord, but I’m assuming it could be because there are extra bits on it that it goes out of tune more easily.
However the harpsichord is underappreciated I feel, as it has a unique bright tone that is very suitable for supporting other string instruments and there are very good versions of virtuostic harpsichord playing. The piano was romanticized and people simply appreciated it’s tone more. I mean, if you were in a romantic, peaceful restaurant or salon, would you rather have a piano or a harpsichord in the background???
References :
Which era are you referring to that produced more piano music than for harpsichord? Baroque? Anyway, the piano wasn’t invented until the early 1700’s when it became a sensation because performers could play it softly or loudly. That’s why it was originally called a pianoforte. Music is all about contrasts, and the piano made it easier.
References :