Dictionary of Music - Birding America

harpsichord 177notes outside that scale, there is a set of seven pedalsat the foot of the instrument, one for all the A strings,another for all the B strings, etc. By pushing the Apedal down one notch, all the A strings are shortenedslightly, causing them to sound one half tone higher(that is, A natural instead of A-flat). By pushing the Apedal down another notch, they are shortened a littlemore, causing them to sound another half tone higher(that is, A-sharp). Because each pedal has two suchnotches, the instrument is known as a double actionharp. Although the pedals make available all thenotes, not all can be played at the same time. A chordcontaining both C-sharp and C natural, for example,cannot be played, since the C pedal cannot be in twodifferent positions at the same time.Harpists can obtain certain special effects. Probablythe most familiar is GLISSANDO, a rippling,almost liquid sound obtained by sliding a finger orfingernail rapidly over the strings. Also, by lightlytouching the mid-point of a string, the note an octavehigher is obtained (see HARMONIC, def. 3), and onthe harp this has an especially lovely tone. Pluckinga string close to the soundboard is another effectoften called for.Harps have existed since ancient times, althoughearly references to them, in the Bible and elsewhere,do not always indicate a truly harplike instrument.True harps differ from zithers, psalteries, and otherplucked stringed instruments in that they have aneck to which the strings are attached, and thestrings are arranged so as to run perpendicular to thesoundboard. The modern triangular harp firstappeared in Europe about the twelfth century.Throughout the Middle Ages it was an importantinstrument, used for both solos and accompaniment.It had no pedals, and for the more complicatedmusic of the Renaissance (1450–1600) the harp’ssingle tuning proved inadequate, so as a solo instrumentit was replaced by the lute. Various improvementswere attempted, until at last the modern harptook shape in the early nineteenth century, the firstdouble-action harp being built about 1810 bySébastien Érard of Paris. Still built in small sizes foruse in the home, the harp was also built in the concertsize used today. By 1850 its place as a standardmember of the orchestra was assured, mainly owingto Hector Berlioz, a master at exploiting the specialtones of each instrument. Although its principal usetoday is still in the orchestra, there are numerousfine compositions for solo harp. The outstandingharp virtuoso and teacher of modern times was CarlosSalzedo (1885–1961). Among notable works forsolo harp (or with important parts for solo harp) are:Handel’s concertos in F and B-flat; Mozart’s Concertofor flute and harp, K. 299; Saint-Saëns’s ConcertPiece for harp and orchestra, op. 154; Glière’sConcerto for harp and orchestra; Debussy’s Sonatafor flute, viola, and harp, and three symphonicsketches La Mer; Ravel’s Introduction and Allegrofor flute, clarinet, harp, and strings; Bax’s Quintetfor harp and strings; Hindemith’s Harp Sonata;Villa-Lobos’s Concerto for harp and orchestra;Salzedo’s Eight Dances for harp; Ginastera’s HarpConcerto; and Double Concertos for harp, oboe, andstrings by Henze and by Lutoslawski. (See alsoIRISH HARP.)harpe (Arp).The French word for HARP.harpsichord (härp′sə kôrd). An important keyboardinstrument of the sixteenth to eighteenth centuries,resembling a grand piano in shape but withstrings that are plucked instead of being struck byhammers. Although harpsichords varied somewhatduring the period of their greatest popularity, somehaving one keyboard and others two, some with onestring for each key and others with as many as fouror five, they all work basically in the same way.Each string is plucked by a plectrum of quill, hardleather, or plastic mounted in a wooden jack placedon the end of each key. On one side of the jack, atthe top, is a small piece of felt that serves as adamper. When the key is pressed down, the jackrises up and the plectrum plucks the string. Whenthe key is released, the jack falls back, but the plectrum,which is mounted so that it can pivot, passesthe string without plucking it again. When the key isat rest, the damper touches the string, preventing itfrom sounding. Thus the harpsichord sounds onlywhen the keys are actually pressed down; it does notcontinue to sound after the keys have been released.Also, the player cannot vary dynamics (loudness,softness) by varying the pressure of the fingers, asone can in the piano.