Clavichord

The clavichord is a European stringed keyboard instrument known from the late Medieval, through the
Renaissance, Baroque and Classical eras. Historically, it
was mostly used as a practice instrument and as an aid
to composition, not being loud enough for larger performances (a problem that was solved when the Clavinet was
invented in the mid-20th century). The clavichord produces sound by striking brass or iron strings with small
metal blades called tangents. Vibrations are transmitted
through the bridge(s) to the soundboard. The name is
derived from the Latin word clavis, meaning key (associated with more common clavus, meaning nail, rod,
etc.) and chorda (from Greek ) meaning string,
especially of a musical instrument.

to the 18th century, but mainly ourished in Germanspeaking lands, Scandinavia, and the Iberian Peninsula
in the latter part of this period. It had fallen out of use
by 1850. In the late 1890s, Arnold Dolmetsch revived
clavichord construction and Violet Gordon-Woodhouse,
among others, helped to popularize the instrument. Although most of the instruments built before the 1730s
were small (four octaves, four feet long), the latest instruments were built up to seven feet long with a six octave
range.

Today clavichords are played primarily by Renaissance,

Baroque, and Classical music enthusiasts. They attract
many interested buyers, and are manufactured worldwide. There are now numerous clavichord societies
around the world, and some 400 recordings of the instrument have been made in the past 70 years. Leading
1 History and use
modern exponents of the instrument include Derek Adlam, Christopher Hogwood, Richard Troeger, and Miklos
The clavichord was invented in the early fourteenth Spnyi.
century.[1][2] In 1504, the German poem "Der Minne
Regeln" mentions the terms clavicimbalum (a term used
mainly for the harpsichord) and clavichordium, designat- 1.1 Modern music
ing them as the best instruments to accompany melodies.
The clavichord has also gained attention in other genres of
music, in the form of the Clavinet, which is essentially an
electric clavichord that uses a magnetic pickup to produce
a signal for amplication. Stevie Wonder uses a Clavinet
in many of his songs, such as "Superstition" and "Higher
Ground". A Clavinet played through an instrument amplier with guitar eect pedals is often associated with
funky, disco-infused 1970s rock.
Guy Sigsworth has played clavichord in a modern setting
with Bjrk, notably on the studio recording of "All Is Full
of Love". Bjrk also made extensive use of and even
played the instrument herself on the song My Juvenile
of her 2007 album Volta.
Tori Amos uses the instrument on Little Amsterdam
from the album Boys for Pele and on the song Smokey
The Lpante clavichord, Muse de la Musique, Paris
Joe from her 2007 album American Doll Posse. Amos
One of the earliest references to the clavichord in England also featured her use of the Clavinet on her 2004 recordoccurs in the privy-purse expenses of Elizabeth of York, ing Not David Bowie, released as part of her 2006 box
set, A Piano: The Collection.
queen of Henry VII, in an entry dated August 1502:
In 1976 Oscar Peterson played (with Joe Pass on acousItem. The same day, Hugh Denys for
tic guitar) songs from Porgy And Bess on the clavichord.
money by him delivered to a stranger that gave
Keith Jarrett also recorded an album entitled Book of
the queen a payre of clavycordes. In crowns
Ways (1987) in which he plays a series of clavichord imform his reward iiii libres.[4]
provisations. The Beatles' "For No One" (1966) features
Paul McCartney playing the clavichord. Rick Wakeman
The clavichord was very popular from the 16th century plays the clavichord in the track The Battle from the
[3]

3 FRETTING

album Journey to the Centre of the Earth.

Structure and action

5
B

2A

1A

1B
2B

Schematic diagram of clavichord mechanism: A/B. Keys.

1A/1B. Tangents. 2A/2B. Keylevers. 3. String. 4. Soundboard.
5. Bridge-pin, next to hitch-pin. 6. Damping felt, next to tuning
peg. (Note that this sketch is a simplication. In the actual instrument, the strings run perpendicular to the keylevers. In other
words, the strings run lengthwise in the instrument.)[5]

the players hand and the production of sound, the clavichord has been referred to as the most intimate of keyboard instruments. Despite its many (serious) limitations,
including extremely low volume, it has considerable expressive power, the player being able to control attack,
duration, volume, and even provide certain subtle eects
of swelling of tone and a type of vibrato unique to the
clavichord.

3 Fretting

Large ve-octave unfretted clavichord by Paul Maurici, after J.A.

Hass
Detail of the Clavichord at Museu de la Msica de Barcelona

Since the string vibrates from the bridge only as far as the
tangent, multiple keys with multiple tangents can be assigned to the same string. This is called fretting. Early
clavichords frequently had many notes played on each
string, even going so far as the keyed monochord an instrument with only one stringthough most clavichords
were triple- or double-fretted. Since only one note can
be played at a time on each string, the fretting pattern
is generally chosen so that notes rarely heard together
(such as C and C) share a string pair. The advantages
of this system compared with unfretted instruments (see
below) include relative ease of tuning (with around half
as many strings to keep in tune), greater volume (though
still not really enough for use in chamber music), and a
clearer, more direct sound. Among the disadvantages:
temperament could not be re-set without bending the tangents; and playing required a further renement of touch,
since notes sharing a single string played in quick succession had to be slightly separated to avoid a disagreeable
deadening of the sound, potentially disturbing a legato
line.

In the clavichord, strings run transversely from the

hitchpin rail at the left-hand end to tuning pegs on the
right. Towards the right end they pass over a curved
wooden bridge. The action is simple, with the keys being levers with a small brass tangent, a small piece of
metal similar in shape and size to the head of a at-bladed
screwdriver, at the far end. The strings, which are usually of brass, or else a combination of brass and iron, are
usually arranged in pairs, like a lute or mandolin. When
the key is pressed, the tangent strikes the strings above,
causing them to sound in a similar fashion to the hammering technique on a guitar. Unlike in a piano action,
the tangent does not rebound from the string; rather, it
stays in contact with the string as long as the key is held,
acting as both the nut and as the initiator of sound. The
volume of the note can be changed by striking harder or
softer, and the pitch can also be aected by varying the
force of the tangent against the string (known as Bebung).
When the key is released, the tangent loses contact with
the string and the vibration of the string is silenced by Some clavichords have been built with a single pair of
strips of damping cloth.
strings for each note. The rst known reference to one
The action of the clavichord is unique among all key- was by Johann Speth in 1693 and the earliest such exboard instruments in that one part of the action simul- tant signed and dated clavichord was built in 1716 by Jotaneously initiates the sound vibration while at the same hann Michael Heinitz. Such instruments are referred to
time dening the endpoint of the vibrating string, and as unfretted whereas instruments using the same strings
thus its pitch. Because of this intimate contact between for several notes are called fretted. Among the advan-

Fretted clavichord, copy of an unsigned instrument conserved in

Namur, Belgium. The way the same string pair is used for several
notes is clearly visible in the full size image.

came easily available, to learn organ repertoire. Most often, the addition of a pedal keyboard only involved connecting the keys of the pedalboard to the lower notes on
the manual clavichord using string so the lower notes on
the manual instrument could be operated by the feet. In
the era of pipe organs, which used man-powered bellows
that required several people to operate, and of churches
being heated during church services if at all, organists
used pedal harpsichords and pedal clavichords as practice
instruments (see also: pedal piano).[6] There is speculation that some works written for organ may have been intended for pedal clavichord. An interesting case is made
by Speerstra (2004) that Bachs Eight Little Preludes
and Fugues, now thought spurious, may actually be authentic. The keyboard writing seems unsuited to organ,
but Speerstra argues that they are idiomatic on the pedal
clavichord. As Speerstra and Williams (2003) also note,
the compass of the keyboard parts of Bachs six organ
trio sonatas BWV 525530 rarely go below the tenor C,
so could have been played on a single manual pedal clavichord, by moving the left hand down an octave, a customary practice in the 18th century.

tages to unfretted instruments are exibility in tuning (the

temperament can be easily altered) and the ability to play
any music exactly as written without concern for bad
notes. Disadvantages include a smaller volume, even
though many or most unfretted instruments tend to be signicantly larger than fretted instruments; and many more
strings to keep in tune. Unfretted instruments tend to have
a sweeter, less incisive tone due to the greater load on 5 Repertoire
the bridge resulting from the greater number of strings,
though the large, late (early 19th century) Swedish clavichords tend to be the loudest of any of the historic clavi- Much of the musical repertoire written for harpsichord
and organ from the period circa 14001800 can be played
chords.
on the clavichord; however, it does not have enough (unamplied) volume to participate in chamber music, with
the possible exception of providing accompaniment to a
4 Pedal clavichord
soft baroque ute, recorder, or single singer. J. S. Bachs
son Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach was a great proponent
of the instrument, and most of his German contemporaries regarded it as a central keyboard instrument, for
performing, teaching, composing and practicing. The
fretting of a clavichord provides new problems for some
repertoire, but scholarship suggests that these problems
are not insurmountable in Bachs Well-Tempered Clavier
(Loucks (1992)). Among recent clavichord recordings,
those by Christopher Hogwood (The Secret Bach, The
Secret Handel, and, most recently, The Secret Mozart),
break new ground. In his liner notes, Hogwood points
out that these composers would typically have played the
clavichord in the privacy of their homes. The English
composer Herbert Howells (18921983) wrote two sigJ. Verscheure Reynvaan: engraving of an eighteenth century nicant collections of pieces for clavichord (Lamberts
Clavichord & Howells Clavichord).
pedal clavichord
Main article: Pedal clavichord

6 References

While clavichords were typically single manual instruments, they could be stacked, one clavichord on top of Notes
another, to provide multiple keyboards. With the addition of a pedal clavichord, which included a pedal key- [1] Brauchli 1998
board for the lower notes, a clavichord could be used to
practice improvising and, only when printed music be- [2] Jeans 1951

EXTERNAL LINKS

[3] Catalogue entry for the Lpante clavichord, Cit de la

Musique, Paris (in French)

Clavichords at the house of Heinrich Schtz (in German)

[4] Brinsmead, Edgar. History of the Pianoforte, London,

1879. pp. 9091

Historical clavichords at the Metropolitan Museum

of Art

[5] Brauchli 1998, pp. 110. The introduction to this book

contains far more detailed and accurate diagrams, labeled
by the technical names of the dierent parts of the clavichord.

Clavichord by Christian Kintzing, Neuwied,

Germany, 1763

[6] The use of the pedal clavichord as a practice instrument

is discussed by Friedrich Griepenkerl in the 1844 foreword to Volume I of the rst edition of the complete organ
works of J.S. Bach; see Riemenschneider 1950.

Sources
Kipnis, Igor (2007), The Harpsichord and Clavichord:
An Encyclopedia, Routledge, ISBN
0415937655
Brauchli, Bernard (1998), The Clavichord, Cambridge University Press, ISBN 0-521-63067-3
Jeans, Susi (1951), The Pedal Clavichord and Other
Practice Instruments of Organists, Proceedings of the
Royal Musical Association, 77th Sess., 19501951,
Oxford University Press, JSTOR 766144
Kottick, Edward L. (1997), Early Keyboard Instruments in European Museums, Indiana University
Press, ISBN 0-253-33239-7
Riemenschneider, Albert (1950), Preface and translations of forewords by Friedrich Griepenkerl to Organ works of J.S. Bach 2067, C.F. Peters
Speerstra, Joel (2004), Bach and the Pedal Clavichord: an Organists Guide, University of Rochester
Press, ISBN 1-58046-135-2
Williams, Peter (2003), The Organ Music of J.S.
Bach (2nd ed.), Cambridge University Press, pp. 4
6, ISBN 0-521-89115-9
Loucks, Richard (1992), Was the 'Well-Tempered
Clavier' performable on a fretted clavichord?, Performance Practice Review 5/1, pp. 4489

External links
Introduction of The Clavichord by Bernard
Brauchli
Clavichord International
British Clavichord Society
Boston Clavichord Society
Clavecin-pdalier by Yves Rechsteiner, 2001 (in
French)

Clavichord by John Christopher Jesse, Halberstadt, Germany, 1765

Clavichord, Germany, 18th century

Text and image sources, contributors, and licenses

8.1

Text

Clavichord Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clavichord?oldid=662890742 Contributors: AstroNomer~enwiki, Andre Engels, Graham Chapman, Gnomon~enwiki, Andrewa, Pipian, Mulad, Lfh, Hyacinth, Morn, Shizhao, EldKatt, Finlay McWalter, Chris 73, Babbage,
Grard, Lupin, Lakefall~enwiki, Espetkov, Jackcsk, JoJan, Shrimppesto, Acsenray, Caillan, CanisRufus, Jashiin, Fiveless, Olve Utne,
Alexs letterbox, Oliver Mundy, M7, Riana, WojciechSwiderski~enwiki, TheCoee, StradivariusTV, Noetica, Graham87, Deltabeignet,
RxS, Missmarple, InFairness, Bhadani, RobertG, GreyCat, Desolidirized, Ben Tibbetts, Hede2000, Sicarii, NawlinWiki, Insouciance,
Badagnani, AeonicOmega, Syrthiss, EEMIV, Supspirit, TheMadBaron, Sotakeit, SMcCandlish, Jonathan.s.kt, DVD R W, Nick Michael,
That Guy, From That Show!, Melchoir, Hbackman, Hmains, Bluebot, EncMstr, OrphanBot, Makemi, Kecske Bak, Aotake, Just plain Bill,
Rhkramer, Sesquialtera II, Rigadoun, Michael Bednarek, Capmo, MonkeyCMonkeyDo, Mathsci, Hikitsurisan~enwiki, Violncello, Quaeler,
OnBeyondZebrax, Ken Gallager, Paxel~enwiki, Xxanthippe, Thijs!bot, Headbomb, Zen & the art of idiocy, JAnDbot, Makulele, Gcm,
Rothorpe, Mr Instamatic, Caroldermoid, Zepheriah, DerHexer, Pax:Vobiscum, Black Stripe, Vigyani, Leyo, J.delanoy, Gyurika, Mfox04,
Fk750, Cadwaladr, Vanished user 39948282, Hpschd, Idioma-bot, PeaceNT, Deor, Nothingbutmeat, VolkovBot, AlnoktaBOT, Station1,
TXiKiBoT, BotKung, Moonsell, Malick78, Drutt, SieBot, Oda Mari, Keyedup, ClueBot, Wikitam331, Conical Johnson, 1ForTheMoney,
Versus22, DumZiBoT, Darkicebot, Dr.Luke.sc, Albambot, Jas363, Legobot, Luckas-bot, Yobot, Nallimbot, KamikazeBot, AnomieBOT,
Pedalclav01, Bob Burkhardt, Megmond, DSisyphBot, Prysswerckh, FrescoBot, Stradfan, Dmoerner, Ionutzmovie, Leisuresuit, MastiBot,
Chris.elms, Double sharp, Masterkit, Vrenator, Fverbeek, Vispo, EmausBot, K6ka, Lobsterthermidor, ClueBot NG, Helpful Pixie Bot,
Personication of plenty, Tdimhcs, Gablaise, Drakem1950, MrThomas369, PhnomPencil, Rommelh, Yoyomoe123, Marionaaragay, Harpsichord246, Sguastevi, C.s.auaeginal, Wikitonior, Keith R Hill, Ammac3, KasparBot and Anonymous: 114

8.2

Images

File:'A'_(PSF).png Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/68/%27A%27_%28PSF%29.png License: Public domain Contributors: Archives of Pearson Scott Foresman, donated to the Wikimedia Foundation Original artist: Pearson Scott Foresman
File:122_Museu_de_la_Msica.jpg Source:
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/ab/122_Museu_de_la_M%C3%
BAsica.jpg License: CC BY-SA 3.0 Contributors: Own work Original artist: Enfo
File:Clavichord-JA_Haas_007_reworked.jpg Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a1/Clavichord-JA_Haas_
007_reworked.jpg License: CC-BY-SA-3.0 Contributors: Image taken from en:Image:Clavichord-JA Haas 007.jpg. Original Description was: I took this picture of my clavichord. Instrument by Paul Maurici, 2001, after Joh. Albrecht Haas. Five octaves, unfretted, case of
mahogany, poplar, and birch. Maple naturals, ebony accidentals. Original artist: User InFairness on en.wikipedia
File:Clavichord_action.svg Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/57/Clavichord_action.svg License: CC-BYSA-3.0 Contributors: Own work, adapted version of File:Clavichord_gebunden_Funktion.JPG by User:Berndt Meyer Original artist: Berndt
Meyer
File:Clavicord.jpg Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/07/Clavicord.jpg License: CC BY 3.0 Contributors: uploaded by author Original artist: Franois Verbeek
File:Clavicorde_Lpante.JPG Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7c/Clavicorde_L%C3%A9pante.JPG License: CC BY-SA 3.0 Contributors: Own work Original artist: Grard Janot
File:Clavier_Dodeka_7_SmallRVB.jpg
Source:
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7f/Clavier_Dodeka_7_
SmallRVB.jpg License: CC BY-SA 3.0 Contributors: Own work Original artist: Wiski
File:Commons-logo.svg Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/4/4a/Commons-logo.svg License: ? Contributors: ? Original
artist: ?
File:Hillclavichord.jpg Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/29/Hillclavichord.jpg License: CC BY-SA 3.0 Contributors: Own work Original artist: Pax:Vobiscum
File:Pedal-clavichord.jpg Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7a/Pedal-clavichord.jpg License: Public domain
Contributors: http://www.jstor.org/stable/766144?seq=1 Original artist: J Verscheure Reynvaan

8.3

Content license

Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0