Clavichord
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The clavichord is a stringed rectangular keyboard instrument that was used largely in the Late Middle Ages, through the Renaissance, Baroque and Classical eras. Historically, it was mostly used as a p
1977 unfretted clavichord by Keith Hill
The "Lépante" fretted clavichord, Musée de la Musique, Paris
Tangents
Detail of the clavichord at Museu de la Música de Barcelona
Harpsichord
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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
Clavichord
…the clavichord is generally considered to be the 1404 German poem "Der Minne Regel", which mentions the terms clavicimbalum (a term used mainly for the harpsichord) and clavichordium, designating them as the best instruments to accompany melodies. One of the earliest references to the clavichord in England occurs…
This harpsichord is the work of two celebrated makers: originally constructed by Andreas Ruckers in Antwerp (1646), it was later remodeled and expanded in a process called grand ravalement by Pascal Taskin in Paris (1780).
An early diagram of a vertical harpsichord (clavicytherium) by Arnault de Zwolle, c. 1430
Harpsichord by Christian Zell, at Museu de la Música de Barcelona. From upper left to lower right: a bridge (supporting the far ends of the strings), the jack rail with the action (jacks) underneath, two nuts (supporting the closer ends of the strings), interleaved with two rows of tuning pins, and finally the keyboard. As with all harpsichords, the action itself is mostly hidden by the jack rail when the instrument is being played; only by removing the jack rail (or indeed, by extracting a jack) can the details of the action be observed.
Sound board of a harpsichord with Chladni patterns