clavichord

Small domestic keyboard instrument developed in the 16th century from the monochord. Its tone is soft and delicate and it is best suited for playing in small rooms. The notes are sounded by a metal blade striking the string, and a form of vibrato (bebung) is possible by varying the finger pressure on the key. It dropped in popularity in the 18th century due to the arrival of the fortepiano.

In the ‘fretted’ clavichord each string is used for two adjacent notes, with the different pitches produced by striking the string at different points. The two adjacent notes cannot therefore be sounded at the same time. ‘Fretless’ clavichords have a separate string for each note. The first clavichords had few strings, using a keyboard-based array of metal tangents combining the function of plectrum and bridge to define and produce a range of pitches. Later instruments increased the number of strings.