The very first harpsichord was probably built back in the 1300s (and may have looked similar to the one pictured above) as a variation to an ancient instrument called the psaltery, which was actually a harp with steel strings.

Within 200 years and by the 1500s/Baroque era, the harpsichord had become an extremely popular instrument in Europe, and thus, spread to multiple countries. With its spread and popularity came several schools of harpsichord building – each with their own woodworking techniques and styles.

In this post, we’ll give you a general overview of each of these early schools of harpsichord building.

German Harpsichords

Harpsichord building actually differed in Germany, depending on whether you were from the Northern or Southern part of the country. The northern builders often modeled their harpsichords with two or three keyboards and multiple handstops – much like the French and Flemish styles.

Most of the northern German harpsichords also included choirs which stretched from 2′ to 16′ in length.

As for the southern style, most builders patterned their harpsichords after the Italian model – that is, one keyboard and shorter strings made of brass. Whereas the northern versions were built for power, these Southern German harpsichords were known for their gentle and sweet tones.

French Harpsichords

Many French-built harpsichords were designed similarly to Flemish harpsichords. Their characteristics included multiple keyboards that included anywhere from four octaves to a fully chromatic range.

French harpsichords also had three choirs that could be combined through the means of a knee-lever. Lastly, all French harpsichords were created out of oak or poplar wood, with the soundboard usually being made from pine.

Flemish Harpsichords

Flemish harpsichords were an entirely separate breed of their own. The most famous harpsichord builders, the Ruckers family, were in fact Flemish and came from the city of Flanders.

The Flems were the first to add a second keyboard to their harpsichords. Also, Flemish harpsichords integrated tighter strings than were 4 inches longer than those found on their Italian counterparts.

Not only that, but the Flems where able to design their models so that the string was plucked further from the nut, which in turn reduced the friction of string against nut, allowing for the Flemish strings to last much longer than the strings found on other versions of the harpsichord.

Most Flemish harpsichords were small, but also very compact and solid.

Italian Harpsichord

Many believe that the Italians were the first to design, create, and use the harpsichord…making their models the oldest. That said, the Italian versions were also the simplest of the various families – with little change seen over the years as well.

Most Italian models included just one keyboard that contained four octaves. Along with this feature, Italian harpsichords were all “unichord,” meaning that each note on the instrument was tied to one string. Speaking of the Italian strings, most were made of brass and strung very loosely and close to the nut.

In terms of weight and material, most Italian harpsichords were light, but large and made of cedar or cypress wood.

Lastly, most Italian harpsichords were mainly used for background accompaniment in plays and productions, and as solo instruments on occasion.

Conclusion

As you can tell, the harpsichord has a rich history. Originating in Italy, its beauty both visually and musically helped it to spread throughout most of Western Europe. With that spread came variations that has only added to the elegance of this instrument.

Harpsichord Players Only

In 1978, a harpsichordist by the name of Elaine Comparone, and some of her fellow harpsichordists decided that their instrument needed a little more publicity.
So, they formed a New York-based organization called, “Harpsichord Unlimited,” with the intentions of bringing the harpsichord to a wider audience around the world and to teach people about the history and music of their beloved instrument.

First Crack

The first concert that “Harpsichord Unlimited” undertook was at the Festival of Chamber Music at St. Joseph’s Church in Greenwich Village. The audience loved the concert, and from there, expansion was just a matter of time for the group.

The group soon picked up more members, all of which were highly gifted harpsichord players, raising the prestige of the organization in just a matter of years. As time went on, members of “Harpsichord Unlimited” began receiving commissions to produce new harpsichord works.

Making it Big

As the organization continued to grow and grow, demands for the group to play more concerts and to compose more pieces grew as well. During that time, an annual Sunday afternoon concert and Wednesday evening concert series in New York City was established.

In 2002, the concert series was moved to Carnegie Hall, one of the most prestigious concert halls in the world. On top of their debut and performances at Carnegie Hall, the group also established an upstate concert series called the Hudson Festival Baroque.

Today

“Harpsichord Unlimited,” is still doing well today, albeit with a hiccup. During the 2008 economic crisis, many of the organization’s donors stopped financially supporting them, leaving the organization at the doorsteps of death.

Luckily, new supporters came to the rescue along with smaller contributions, helping the group to regain their financial footing.

Today, “Harpsichord Unlimited,” continues to promote the music of their instrument through concerts, festivals, and new chamber works. They do so with an eye towards showing the public that the harpsichord and its music are still relevant, even in our contemporary setting of 2011.

Then music changed with the rising of the middle class. An artist would write music for the general public and make a living by creating more and more for the masses to enjoy. Even artists not popular with the main-stream could find a loyal niche.

However, there had to be a way to distribute the music to the masses. This is where the production company came in. An artist would prove that they had music that at least some of the masses would enjoy and then the production company would record and publish their music. The music (or artist) would be marketed, and the masses would buy the published music, and the artist and production company would split the earnings.

Then the internet appeared. With the ease of digital music, people can copy music from a friend without paying a penny, not even for a tape or CD to put it on. This is considered stealing from the production company, and they are none-too-happy about that.

However, what if we went back to the “olden ways” of producing music: Sponsors? Say Coca-cola sponsored Lady Ga-Ga. Lady Ga-Ga would get paid to make music, get paid to do concerts and end up just as rich and famous. However, Coke would give away her music for free, and earn every Lady Ga-Ga fan as a loyal customer.

Production companies wouldn’t like this, but it’s time they left anyways. That’s the way of capitalism. In the end customers would be happy, artists would be happy and sponsors would have a new, powerful means of advertising.