The Harpsichord's Plucked Voice
The harpsichord is a keyboard instrument that produces sound by plucking strings with a quill or plectrum — fundamentally different from the piano's hammer mechanism. When a key is pressed, a wooden jack lifts a plectrum that plucks the string, creating a bright, articulate, instantly decaying tone. The harpsichord cannot produce dynamic variation through touch: every note sounds at the same volume, which is why Baroque composers wrote terraced dynamics (abrupt shifts between loud and soft sections) rather than gradual crescendos.
Harpsichord vs Piano
These two instruments represent fundamentally different approaches to keyboard sound. The harpsichord plucks — producing a clear, bright, rapidly decaying tone ideal for the contrapuntal textures of Baroque music. The piano strikes with hammers — producing a tone that can be shaped dynamically from a whisper to a roar. The piano's ability to play piano (softly) and forte (loudly) is what gave it its name (pianoforte). Our virtual harpsichord uses fast triangle-wave decay to capture the plucking mechanism.
Baroque Repertoire
The harpsichord boasts one of the richest repertoires in classical music. J.S. Bach composed The Well-Tempered Clavier, a collection of 48 preludes and fugues in all major and minor keys that remains the foundation of keyboard study. The Goldberg Variations, his monumental set of 30 variations, was written for a two-manual harpsichord. Domenico Scarlatti's 555 sonatas explore the harpsichord's coloristic possibilities with unprecedented virtuosity. French masters Couperin and Rameau developed the style brisé (broken-chord texture) that influenced later piano music.