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The '''clavichord''' is a more or less oblong sound box on legs with strings that make sound by being hit with “hammers” like the earlier [[dulcimer]], but to which has been added a keyboard along one side. The keys operate wooded levers into one end of which are attached metal plates (called “tangents”) that “hit” the strings, however, unlike the contemporary members of the [[harpsichord]] family, by keeping the key suppressed at a particular or varying pressure, the tangent stays pressed onto the string accordingly and the player can vary the loudness of the note, its tonality and even impart vibrato, much as a contemporary [[lute]]nist or [[viol]] player could with his fingers on the fretboard.)
[[Image:Clavichord.jpg|thumb|right|300px]]
The '''clavichord''' is an oblong sound box on legs with strings that make sound by being hit with “hammers” like the earlier [[dulcimer]], but to which has been added a keyboard along one side. The keys operate wooded levers into one end of which are attached metal plates (called “tangents”) that “hit” the strings, however, unlike the contemporary members of the [[harpsichord]] family, by keeping the key suppressed at a particular or varying pressure, the tangent stays pressed onto the string accordingly and the player can vary the loudness of the note, its tonality and even impart vibrato, much as a contemporary [[lute]]nist or [[viol]] player could with his fingers on the fretboard.)
The clavichord was never able to fill a concert hall. It had a softness of sound that precluded it from most ensemble playing. It did however enjoy about three centuries – from the 15th to the 18th – as a training and practice instrument. In the final years before the piano began to rule supreme towards the end of the 18th century the clavichord was respected as an instrument on which the composer/player could express his emotions.
The clavichord was never able to fill a concert hall. It had a softness of sound that precluded it from most ensemble playing. It did however enjoy about three centuries – from the 15th to the 18th – as a training and practice instrument. In the final years before the piano began to rule supreme towards the end of the 18th century the clavichord was respected as an instrument on which the composer/player could express his emotions.
[[Category: Keyboard Instruments]]
[[Category: Keyboard Instruments]]