Harpsichord

The harpsichord is a keyboard instrument and the immediate precursor of the fortepiano (later the modern piano). The harpsichord was developed in the Renaissance era and proved to be extremely popular. Whereas in the modern piano, sound is produced when a hammer strikes the string, in the harpsichord the mechanism that derives the sound plucks it instead. This results in a different timbre to that of the piano with a bright cutting edge. All the great keyboard works of the Baroque era, including Scarlatti's Keyboard Sonatas and Bach's Goldberg Variations were written for the harpsichord. However there were issues with the instrument - the unvarying nature of its timbre and its small sound projection contributed to the harspichord being supplanted by the more expressive (and louder) fortepiano in the late 18th century. With the rise of period performance since the 1960s the harpsichord has seen a great resurgence in its popularity. It has also managed to find its way into the sphere of popular music as well.