The Ambiguity of Choice of Keyboard Instrument, Research Paper Example

In the modern era, musicians continues to play music which is reminiscent of the past. While new music is continuously produced, there is a desire to keep the early musical pieces alive. To honor the past, some musicians have created new music that reflects the classical and baroque styles. In these pieces, the artists are free to use whatever instruments they like to create their musical effect. When modern ensembles perform classical and baroque music, they tend to use a combination of both modern instruments and early instruments, such as the harpsichord, to perform early music. This allows them to create the sound of their choosing, which is reflective of artistic liberty. The question I have is why many artists prefer to use harpsichord to play basso continuo rather than using piano to play it. It is therefore necessary to explore the relevance of this decision.

During the baroque era, the harpsichord was one of the instruments used to play basso continuo due to the fact that it existed when this style of music was originally produced. In the modern era, because the harpsichord is not as common as it was in the early period, it has been replaced other instruments such as piano to create the baseline effect. Musicians tend to use this alternative replacement if they want to play early music without acquiring the harpsichord because the similar sounds that these instruments can make under certain conditions.

The other reason why many musicians choose to use piano to play basso continuo over the harpsichord is because of the accessibility of the instrument. Musicians can have access to pianos much easier than to harpsichords.  However, while it is possible to use piano to play basso continuo instead of harpsichord, it is not as perfectly reflective of the music that was originally produced. There are many differences between the harpsichord and the piano that cause this to be the case.

First, while both harpsichord and piano are considered to be keyboard family instruments, the mechanic structures of those instruments are totally different. A harpsichord produces it sound by plucking a string by a plectrum within a jack when a key is pressed while a piano produces it sound by striking the string with a hammer. Because the sound is made differently, the quality of sound produced is different as well. The harpsichord has a less sustained sound. Second, it is important to consider that the harpsichord was the primary instrument available during Renaissance and Baroque period. The piano was not invented and introduced until the 18^th century, meaning that piano was not traditionally utilized in baroque pieces. As a consequence, musicians who wish to imitate the sound of original baroque pieces in their performances are required to select the harpsichord for use, as this instrument would have been what was used for basso continuo. Musicians want to imitate the original sound of baroque pieces to reflect the character of the time period in which these pieces were created.

Other differences between the piano and harpsichord pertain to the speed with which they can be played. Because of the difference in string between these two instruments, the harpsichord has a greater degree of resistance and therefore is more difficult to pluck quickly. Furthermore, there is a uniform resistance across the sweep of the key on a piano and there is almost no resistance on the harpsichord. Although many skilled harpsichord players can pluck the strings of the instrument quickly, skilled piano players can manipulate the keys of the piano more quickly. According to physical principles, gliding motions can achieve higher acceleration and velocity than plucking motions. This is simply due to the nature of the two instruments; piano players simply need to put their fingers over the keyboard and press to accomplish sound. As a consequence, it is possible for keyboard players to play quicker basso continuo lines than would be possible for a musician playing the harpsichord. The resulting performance may therefore vary, as a quicker tempo is possible if the piano is used as a replacement.

Another major difference between the piano and the harpsichord is that the harpsichord is a generally softer sounding instrument. It sounds lighter than the harpsichord. Furthermore, its notes do not sustain for a very long time. Doing dynamic change on harpsichord is challenging. Piano is able to do dynamics change in addition to sustain notes for a longer period of time. Because the piano has more dynamics, there are still some musicians prefer to use piano rather than harpsichord to play basso continuo. Most modern artists believe that this is the case, while individuals that prefer to preserve the historic context of the music disagree. However, it is important for musicians to consider that these musical liberties were not available during the baroque era and therefore incorporating them through use of the piano may detract from the effect that they are trying to create with their performances.

As stated above, the piano is capable of accomplishing more dynamics than the harpsichord, which is why it is a popular replacement for the instrument in modern times. This is also why it is more readily available and mastered by modern musicians. However, it is necessary to consider that if a musician want the music produced to truly be performed in the baroque style, as it was produced by its original creators, it would be impossible to use a piano. It would be challenging to play this instrument simplistically due to the range of possibilities it incorporates. Furthermore, the sound quality produced by the instrument is not exactly the same as the sound produced by the harpsichord. Therefore, the basso continuo produced by the harpsichord is better quality than the basso continuo produced by the piano in baroque music because it will allow a piece to sound close to what the composer originally intended to create.

While there are many arguments stating that it is preferable to play the harpsichord during presentations of baroque music, there are also many arguments to the contrary. Although these instruments they look alike superficially, their structures and mechanics are totally different. Unlike the string and wind instruments, which their modern versions of the instruments are the evolvement of the earlier versions and they are developed from the early instruments to make them easier to play Romantic or later period music. Piano is actually a new instrument invented by Bartolomeo Cristofori in around 1700. Since the piano is in essence the evolved version of the harpsichord, it is more readily available today. As a result, many modern musicians prefer to play this instrument for basso continuo in baroque music because they are more familiar with it.

After the invention of the piano in the 18^th century, the harpsichord died out for a short period of time due to the popularity of the piano. It was not until musicians demonstrated their intent to recreate baroque music that the instrument appeared. Although many musicians during the time and musicians during the modern era criticize the harpsichord due to its limitations, it was clear that many also believed that it would be necessary to restore use of the instrument to create authentic baroque music. While it is certainly possible to use both the piano and the harpsichord to perform baroque music, it is essential to consider that the modern piano was invented play long lyrical lines which makes it inappropriate to play basso continuo. Therefore, the piano was made to be dynamic because it was never really intended to perform this bass role. Rather, it is more advantageous to use the instrument to perform a melody or harmony that occurs in music that was created during the classical period or later. While the piano has many functions in distinct styles of music, it is challenging to imitate the dynamics of the harpsichord in the process, making it a less authentic manner of performing baroque music.

In addition, the piano and harpsichord are different in terms of the dynamics, tone, and sound. It is therefore challenging for the piano to imitate the sound created by the harpsichord because these musicians have a greater extent of musical liberty. It becomes even more challenging for musicians to imitate the harpsichord when using a piano when considering that not all of the notes for the harpsichord player were traditionally written in the score. Rather, the bass line that would be played by the left hand would be written, while the right hand would be at liberty to improvise. This improvisation would be more problematic if a piano were to be used in place of a harpsichord because more sounds are possible. Therefore, even if a pianist can play the base line written for the left hand really well, the right hand may take on an adaptation of the music that would not have been possible during the baroque period. Therefore, it is necessary for musicians to use only the harpsichord during baroque productions if they wish to maintain historical accuracy in the music that they produce.

Ultimately, there are many reasons that the harpsichord should always be used when playing early music. While the choice between the harpsichord and piano is somewhat ambiguous, it is clear that selecting the harpsichord for use is the more authentic choice. Both the history and the structure of the two instruments indicate why the harpsichord is the preferable instrument choice.

In conclusion, the similarities and differences between the structure of the harpsichord and the piano demonstrate that these two instruments are completely different. Piano was made to have longer lasting lyrical tone and sound while harpsichord was made to play shorter note. In addition, piano has more dynamics control while doing dynamics on harpsichord can be difficult. The difference in sound between the two instruments exists primarily because of how the mechanisms of both instruments were created. The strings in the harpsichord are plucked while the strings in the piano are struck. This leads to many differences in musical capabilities as well. Since the piano is capable of creating more dynamic music, it is more challenging to play basso continuo using it due to the complexity that the instrument is likely to bring to the baroque music.

In addition, the way in which baroque music has been written does not fully reflect the expectations of the basso continuo playing. While the notes that should be played with the left hand are provided, the musician is left to improvise with the right hand. The piano allows a greater number of possibilities with regards to the music that could be produced with the right hand, which is detrimental for the creation of authentic baroque music. Therefore, many musicians prefer to play the basso continuo on the harpsichord rather than the piano or another alternative to prevent the music from taking on too much of a romantic and modern feel.

Although the piano has evolved to belong in modern music, it did not exist during the baroque era and should therefore not be used as a replacement for the harpsichord in baroque music. Baroque music held its characteristic sound primarily due to the instruments used during performances, and altering the instruments used to create the music will therefore alter its sound. As a result, many musicians prefer to use the harpsichord to create baroque music because this was the instrument musician used back then to create and portray the music initially. One of the main purposes of playing baroque music in the modern era is the ability to let the listener to appreciate its authenticity, and this is only possible through the use of the harpsichord. To ensure that this musical tradition will be able to continue, it will be necessary to promote the training of musicians who play the piano on the harpsichord as well. In this manner, it will not be challenging for musicians to switch between their ability to play early music and music written after the 18^th century, which will allow both styles to remain authentic to the intentions of their creators. If this is done properly, it is likely that many people will be able to continue to enjoy early music for many years to come. It is essential for us to preserve our past so that we may continue to understand it.