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information
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Clavichord
Italy
circa 1540
Inv.-Nr. 2
Instrument with tangents exhibited in Renaissance
from the instrument collection Alessandro Kraus
Clavichord - detail
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Photographer: Janos Stekovics
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The tone of the clavichord is especially soft and gentle. Sounds are produced when tangents (upright metal blades of brass or iron fixed to the inner end of the instrument's keys) rise and touch the instrument's strings. A tangent remains in contact with a string or strings until the key is released by the player. Clavichords were primarily used for private music making at home and as practice instruments. In 1511 Sebastian Virdung wrote, "whatever you have practiced on the clavichord you can then play easily on the organ, the harpsichord, the virginal and all other keyboard instruments." ["...denn was du uff dem clavichordio lernest, das hast du dann gut und leicht spilen zu lernen uff der Orgeln, uff dem Clavizymell, uff dem virginale unnd uff allen anderen clavierten instrumenten."] Unfortunately, clavichords from Virdung's time and before have not survived. Drawings and diagrams are our only clues to the construction of these early instruments. The clavichord here corresponds in many details to these historical representations. It is, in fact, one of the oldest surviving clavichords and provides important information on the early history of the instrument.
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