How does clavichord create sound?
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.
What is a tangent in music?
Music. Tangent (clavichord), a part of the action of the clavichord that both initiates and sustains a tone, and helps determine pitch.
How loud is a clavichord?
It is the only keyboard that allows one to play vibrato, like on a violin, by pushing the key up and down, changing the pitch noticeably, While it plays louder and softer like a piano, its range is more from pianissimo to ppp, than forte to piano, like a piano. It is about 1/4 as loud as a quieter harpsichord.
What is the difference between clavichord and piano?
A harpsichord and a piano may look similar in shape, but the harpsichord and piano are in fact very different beasts. Though both are classed as keyboard instruments, the strings of the harpsichord are plucked while those of a piano are struck.
Where did the clavichord come from?
The clavichord was invented in the early fourteenth century. It was popular in the 16th-18th centuries, but mainly flourished in German-speaking lands, Scandinavia and the Iberian Peninsula in the latter period; it fell out of use in the 1840s. In the late 1890s, Arnold Dolmetsch revived clavichord construction.
What is a tangent point?
A tangent to a circle is a straight line which touches the circle at only one point. This point is called the point of tangency. The tangent to a circle is perpendicular to the radius at the point of tangency.
What do you need to make a clavichord?
One would think all you have to do is make a rectangular box, insert a keyboard, soundboard and strings, then add the tangents and you have a clavichord. Its a nice thought as long as you don’t care a whit how the result sounds or plays.
How does a clavichord feel to the fingers?
The touch on the best clavichords I have played feels to the fingers like molding stiff yet flexible modeling clay…it yields to the fingers by assuming the shape one molds according to the gestures intended by pushing gently but firmly. The key, not to make a pun, is the word intended.
How are the strings of a clavichord arranged?
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 flat-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.
What kind of instrument was the clavichord used for?
The clavichord is a European 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 practice instrument and as an aid to composition, not being loud enough for larger performances.