Harpsichord Demonstration

MIT 21M.235 Monteverdi to Mozart: 1600-1800, Fall 2014
View the complete course: ocw.mit.edu/21M...
Instructor: Jean Rife
An historical overview and in-depth demonstration of the harpsichord given to students of 21M.235 Monteverdi to Mozart during Fall 2014.
License: Creative Commons BY-NC-SA
More information at ocw.mit.edu/terms
More courses at ocw.mit.edu

[@jimbo2629]

The Allemand from the French Suite is one of my favourites. The instrument is ideal for it. It’s a copy of a 1720 Dulcken which is long and, as she says, it has a resonant base as a result.

[@lukaskamin755]

mEmento mori means remember the death, or remember (that you have) to die, so Memento is a form of the verb memini, which is cognate with a memory and remembrance, and not with the moment

[@iama8537]

It is "amazing this woman has never heard about Wanda Landowska. She is also the first one who recorded the whole Goldberg variations on harpsichord etc... she rediscovered Ramaeau etc....

[@mitocw]

This class covers music between 1600 and 1800, ending with the music of Mozart, so they would not have focused on people living in the 19th or 20th century.

[@HarpsichordVinylGallery]

@@mitocw As Skip Sempe said during a recital dedicated to Wanda Landowska in Brugge (including playing some compositions by Wanda on a Pleyel) in August 2018: "Without Landowska you probably would not be sitting here and I might not be playing the harpsichord" to emphasize the importance of this Grande Madame.

[@hitoshiigarashi5350]

31:00 I can answer that. The white keys were traditionally made from Ivory which was expansive. The black keys I'm not sure.

[@nikogonatos]

Yes, and also, the reversed key colors were popular with French-inspired harpsichords.

[@F0nkyNinja]

Black keys are Ebony

[@danielj9042]

The white keys were sometimes made out of bleached bone.

[@erikkrabbenbos4347]

Not with harpsichords. Keys are all wood. At some point in the 19th century they started using ivory for the white piano keys, though.

[@tinovanderzwanphonocave544]

1 the keys are hollowed out more on the top keyboard because of them being higher a hand in low position has less trouble with leverage than a hand in higher elevation the color variation of the keys may vary there wasn't a real standard on some of the real 18th century instruments there sometimes was no variation at-all the keys where uniform in color in these there sometimes was mother of pearl or metal inlays on the half notes as to the negative to the piano thing there where white-black and black-white so both where normal coloring was decoration (some keys where even leather covered rosewood in the virginal days and yes even waxed paper covered keys existed)

[@tinovanderzwanphonocave544]

+tino van der zwan phono cave! i'm not really a player (i can play but not as good as i would like) my interest lies more in the mechanics of the machine and yes its more a machine than an instrument like a violin where 1 action is giving 1 direct result wile the harpsichord there's at least 2 stages to each action and each different action can have multiple results as explainned in the vid the mechanics of stops are sometimes wildly complicated well.. not as much in this one but the original french and spanish harpsi are crazy in mechanics some even resemble the instrument that pleyel build for wanda landowska (without metal frame) the modern copies of ancient harpsi are more simpel and... in a lot of cases more a rich mans everyday instrument rather than the elaborate complicated instruments build for the royals and upper nobillity guys these where BIG!!! i mean 3 to 4 keyboards 18 or more stops and in a lot of cases 4 to 5 meters long! with pedal or knee bellow stop control so you would not have to change by hand my faforite stop in a harpsichord is a rare one its where a metal polished rod was pushed lightly on the strings giving the sound similar to an indian sithar this came with some of the rarer virginals of the 15-1600s (one was build for david munrow in the 1970s)

[@irineoromero9398]

@@tinovanderzwanphonocave544 That's correct. It was called "arpichordium" and it did produce a sort of "sizzling/continuous sound". It was produced by moving a steel batten so it would barely touch the strings. If you wish, you can listen to one in a very fine record by the Jean-François Paillard chamber orchestra, playing Bach's 3 and 4 haprsichord concertos 1063-1065 (D-Minor; C-Major and A-Minor). I'm the fortunate owner of an original vinyl copy, in mint condition :) .

[@alienkishorekumar]

Very interesting class from MIT.

[@jimbo2629]

A great overview. Keyboard basswood or beech. Soundboard Sitka or Norway Spruce. Case Poplar. Bridges Pearwood or Beech Ivory accidentals cheaper than naturals. Venetian swell was ott. Hugh Gough not to be confused with Tom Goff,also important in the revival. Arnold Dolmetsch kicked off the revival in England. and was responsible for children learning the recorder in primary school and learning woodwork later.

[@litoboy5]

cool

[@runner0075]

I appreciate the good intent of MIT offering free educational content, nevertheless the performance is quite poor. The instrument is gorgeous.

[@ofri75]

Do harpsichord have sustain pedals?

[@broquemusician]

The historical instruments from 1400-1700s do not have sustain pedals. During the 1970's (when many harpsichord revivals instruments were made) you might find some experimental instruments that use the sustain pedal to emulate keys being held down, pedals to switch "manuals," or organ pedals hooked up to a "pedal harpsichord." Harpsichords with pedals do exist, but they are very rare and not historically accurate.

[@Madison-ut6bz]

what i've come to understand about harpsicords Mozart and Beethoven are cousins, and their music is that transition period between Harpsicord and Piano. Beethoven's "Well-Tempered Clavier" is pretty much the Bible on Harpsicord going though every key, Not In Perfect Tuning. as she points out @15:55 Harpsicord needs tuning. In fact It Lends Itself to Be Tuned*** Look at its constuction As a Guitarist, I can understand this. It is like tuning a guitar. Beethoven's Well-tempered Clavier infact uses this im-perfection as a source of study As Each Key has a specific character etc. as you know the 12-tone scale is considered to be of 'equal temperament' If that is the case, Then Beethoven's Well-Tempered Clavier doesn't take advantage of Piano's equal temperment, in fact it explores the peculiarities and characters of each of the 12 keys I am not qualified in this, as I myself have not studied Beethoven's Well-Tempered Clavier but listening to others and taking clues from the Harpsichord itself that is what it seems

[@nicholasrees1838]

Madison, I think that you need to revisit this note. JS Bach wrote the WTC in two books in the first half of the 18th century. You wrongly credit this to Beethoven three times!

[@irineoromero9398]

@@nicholasrees1838 I agree Mr. Rees. But he brought up a subject that's been bugging me for years. Where can I find a treaty covering that "particular/specific character" to every signature? I'd gladly appreciate any help here.

[@irineoromero9398]

By the way, I once read a fragment about a really weird "classification" of keys according to their "taste": C would be "sour"; D would be "tasteless"; E would be "sweet"; F would be "bitter" and so on. Can anybody tell me where to find that? Thanks in advance.:) .

[@caesarsneezer6992]

Not Beethoven, but Bach 'well tempered clavier'.

[@LSZeferino]

Really nice!!!

[@cstiska]

Excelente!

[@CameronK665]

So what exactly is she using a foot pedal for? It doesn't look like it's attached to anything...

[@bashisobsolete.pythonismyn6321]

bluetooth page-flipper

[@jockmoron]

It's a switch for her iPad to change the page of music.

[@anachreon01]

At 12:33 Jean talks about "late seventeenth early eighteenth centruey" - is she not a century too early here?

[@krissen98]

No, she is right, Bartolomeo Cristofori's first pianoforte is dated back to 1698

[@lucan1596]

so she is trying to teach about this instrument but then she breaks it what

[@davidmfra]

what the hell with the creepy close up to the girls faces at 12:28? are those faces important for the course?

[@alienkishorekumar]

+0rpheu Yeah, sort of creepy, but in most classes in MIT they warn students if they want their faces or voices to be blurred out.

[@davidmfra]

+alienkishorekumar i am not even talking about their privacy, its just that its an abnormal amount of time and he even does a zoom in of something that has no importance for the course, why does he?

[@erikkrabbenbos4347]

He's practicing his zooming and command of the focus in different areas of the image. Basically just learning more cameraman skills. Granted, it's not the most ideal event and situation to do so. No certified creeper, but not the smartest cookie either. 🤦🏻‍♂️

[@Gioeufshi]

I wonder how this levturer would react had she been told a REAL joke.

[@tomlavelle8518]

Giorgi Eufshi Q: What did Mozart say to Beethoven? A: You can’t Handel the truth!

[@PeterDad60]

The students shocked me in the end as not a one of them was able to just improvise some good 'ole Baroque sounds. This is a Music College? The very tone of the harpsichord should have been enough for them to improvise something near to what they all just listed too. If you can not play even a little made up piece right on the spot by ear, how then shall you ever be inspired by any music that you hear?

[@Luschan]

How then shall you ever, indeed. Outrageous I say!

[@tompommerel2136]

The answer may well lie in the change in music education over time. The process of acquiring practical as well as conceptual skills along with keyboard application of music rudiments, improvisation, counterpoint, and composition for over 10 years, which was the basis of Italian (Neapolitan conservatoria in the 17the & 18th Centuries) has now been reduces to just a few years with the main focus on cognitive-based learning rather than personalising practical skills. Today, advanced musical training is focused mostly on memorising repertoire so as to reproduce it while having left behind the practical experience of creating music as is is being learned

[@emfox6280]

It's MIT, about as far from a music college as you can get...

[@ZeranZeran]

JUST PLAY IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! OH MY GOD I'm sorry this is a great video but why can't I find 1 video of someone just playing the damned thing

[@iama8537]

What about WANDA LANDOWSKA? How come she is not talked about? She started to research harpsichaord BEFORE WWI,; she went to Museums and private collections all over Europe. She is the one who created the school in St Leu and interested Poulenc, Ravel, and then Boulez, etc.... She is the one who first said that there is no progression in arts. Each period has its own genius. And that was at the beginning if the 20th cent.

[@uhoh007]

Maybe you should make a video about her, for the good reasons you state. This is a wonderful presentation which gives great info about the Harpsichord revival. It's a big subject, and Wanda is already very well known.

[@celesteadeanes4478]

women are rarely celebrated for both their academic opinions and efforts in art. I am so grateful you mentioned her name at all.thank you.

[@tompommerel2136]

While Landowska was very influential in the history of early 20th century harpsichord revival, she was still a person of her own time when extreme dynamics of the PIANO ruled supreme. Consequently, her recordings showed this aesthetic by adding a 16' pitch choir to the other standard 8'and 4' string courses. Also, her legato articulation was more aligned to the piano, which was not the basic touch for the earlier keyboards as later researchers found. Then, there is the exaggerated lifting of fingers in preparation of striking the keys as seen in her book. Pedagogically, this may have thought to be a traditional way to develop muscular strength of the fingers to play the modern piano, but excessive finger lifting invariably causes increase of wrist tension with the loss of mobility.

[@HarpsichordVinylGallery]

Very nice introduction and great it got a wider audience this way. It is well appreciated. I am so sorry I live too far away in Europe for "a private demo" :(45:40) I really would have loved it!

[@HarpsichordVinylGallery]

OK sounds great to me! Will they let me play on a Zell built in 1741?!? OK a timid short sarabande I would like to settle for ;-)

[@jimbo2629]

If you are in England try Fenton House where you can play their instruments.

[@HarpsichordVinylGallery]

@@jimbo2629 Still a bit far away from the Netherlands but I will keep it in mind, thanks.

[@stephenarnold6359]

Not Hugh Goff - Thomas Goff. Of London.

[@Arthur-hg7ny]

6:42 I think she meant to say Arnold Dolmetsch. Carl, his son, wasn’t born until 1911.

[@ishan6241]

Some very nice harpsichord playing.

[@ronwalker4849]

IN ORVIETO, ITALIA IN THE MUNICIPAL MUSEUM IS A ROMAN SMALL CARVING OF A PERSON SITTING AT A HARPSICHORD. THE SHAPE AND POSITION TO THE PLAYER MAKE THE EXISTANCE OF THE HARPSICHORD UNMISTAKABLE. LIKE MANY ROMAN INVENTIONS, IT WAS FORGOTTEN FOR CENTURIES BUT THEN RECONSTRUCTED PROBABLY IN ITALY IN THE 15TH CENTURY.

[@bikkies]

This is wonderful.

[@alexhanyuan]

38:39 Usain Bolt

[@michaelthomasmock5199]

Who did the most recent refurbishment?

[@SwitchModeMutations]

Handel Suite no.7 in G minor.. my personal favorite baroque harpsichord piece on Earth.

[@anachreon01]

What is risible about "Gough" or "Venetian blinds?

[@caesarsneezer6992]

Would like know, if both manuals are moving, what's the point of two manuals. She made reference to the sound being different, but if both are moving simultaneously, then what is the point of separating them? If either manual is played, then how is the sound discriminated? Any help would be appreciated.

[@danielj9042]

They’re not always moving together. You can uncouple them for different types of music. It’s also for dynamic and color contrast. And you can solo out melodies if you play the right hand on the bottom manual and the left hand on the top manual or vise verse. When the manuals are coupled or playing simultaneously, the sound is much louder. The harpsichord can’t produce dynamics like the piano so having all of these different resources helps with that. Also, the top manual plectra are plucked closer to where the harpsichordist sits which gives it a nasal quality of tone. The bottom manual Plectra are plucked further away from the harpsichordist so the tone quality is more mellow. I hope this helps 😌

[@kevindudley9513]

This is a harpsichord.

[@benjaminheim735]

thanks!

[@bingola45]

After the War, people realised that the Harpsichord had reached the limit of its development about two centuries earlier, and stopped trying to make a credible modern instrument out of a dinosaur that had quite naturally died-out.

[@emfox6280]

you're not very bright...