Nguyen, HanhJune 1, 2007Math 5Professor BarnettThe ClavichordThe clavichord originated as an evolved form of the monochord, aprimitive instrument invented in the sixth century BC by Pythagoras inorder to demonstrate his theory of musical intervals and harmonics. Themonochord consisted of a single string stretched across a rectangularplank, supported by two fixed bridges. The tension of the string wasadjusted with a tuning pin. Although this affected the pitch of the noteplayed, its effect is less significant compared to the effect of a movablebridge under the string. This component divided the string into twosections, obtaining different pitches depending on the position to whichone slides it (Brauchli 9). In order to produce a sound, the player plucksthe string, which vibrates with a frequency dependent on the length of thestring, which changes according to the position of the movable bridge.The shorter the string, the higher the frequency and thus pitch.After several stages in the evolution of the monochord, includingthe organistrum, the bowed monochord, the chekker, and the keyedmonochord, the clavichord finally came into existence. All of theseversions of the early clavichord differ from the original monochord asdescribed above because they consisted of multiple strings instead of one.The clavichord’s predecessors had elements that contributed to itsfundamental characteristics. First, the monochord introduced the idea ofproducing notes by striking a string indifferent locations, determining the lengthof the vibrating string. The clavichordwas derived from the monochord, butother early string instruments were crucialcontributors to its conception. Thepsaltery, which consisted of a soundbox with multiple strings stretched over that were plucked with the fingers, contributed the concept of an instrument that was composed of several parallel strings stretched across a soundbox. Third, the keyboard demonstrated the concept of having keys which the player hits with his finger, in turn striking their respective strings and producing different notes. According to literary and iconographical evidence, the clavichord finally came into existence in the fifteenth century, almost twenty centuries after the invention of the simple monochord (Brauchi 9-20).A Monochord(Wikipedia)A psaltery from Ala Bohemica (Wikipedia)As the year progressed, the clavichord underwent drastic change in its structure and sound. The early clavichord of the fifteenth century typically spanned 4 octaves, translating to 48 semitones. As the style of music changed over time and demand for more complexity in composition increased, subsequent models of the clavichord were produced with a wider range of semitones. The more recent clavichords span up to 6 octaves, or 72 semitones. The clavichord was Bach’s preferred instrument (Russell 26), suggesting that it had several characteristics that gave it an advantage of the piano despiteits lesser popularity overall. It was popular during the sixteenth through eighteenth centuries, but experienced a temporary extinction in the 1840s. However, in the 1890s, the Dolmetcsh company introduced new models of the clavichord, sparking the “clavichord revival.” (Schott 595).The clavichord was essentially an earlier version of the piano. It is a rectangular-shaped box with pairs of strings stretched along the larger axis of the rectangle, parallel tothe keys. The keys are black and white, like those of a piano. In nonfretted clavichords, each key corresponds to a single semitone. The key is attached to a lever, and at the end of the lever is a small metal blade made of brass or iron called a tangent. When one pressed on a key, the tangent strikes the strings from below, causing them to vibrate. These vibrations are sent through the bridge, which then causes the soundboard to vibrate, amplifying the sound waves because the soundboard is able to vibrate with a higher amplitude than the string can. The tangent stays in contact with the strings until the key isreleased, after which adamping cloth muffles the sound. Thus, a clavichord has a higher decay time than a piano, which has tangents that rebound off the strings regardless of whether or not the key is held down. Because the tangent stays in contact for the entire duration that the key is held down, the player is able to control the quality of the note. For example, the player can vary the pitch of the note by changing his pressure on the key, allowing him to produce a vibrato or create the effect of swelling the tone. Unlike a violin or guitar, the strings are of the same width, but what causes each string to have a different tone is its length and therefore mass. The longer the string, the higher the frequency and pitch. These strings are usually arranged in pairs (Britannica).A modern clavichord (Wikipedia)There are two main types of clavichords: the fretted and the nonfretted. A fretted clavichord shares multiple notes on thesame string, thereby allowing for a morecompact instrument with fewer strings totune. The fret lies at the position where itcomes in contact with the node of thestring, allowing it to change the length ofthe string without affecting the mode. Ona guitar, the fret is a piece of metal on thefingerboard that allows the player toshorten the string length by placing hisfinger on it, whereas on a clavichord thelength of the vibrating string is changedbecause each key assigned to the samestring hits the string at a different location.Only the length of string to the right of thestriking point vibrates because a dampingcloth prevents vibration on the other side.While the advantage of this is the ability tofit more notes in less strings, a problem arises because two notes on the same string cannot be played at once. This makes the instrument more difficult to play, because thereis a special technique that requires that the player lifts his finger right before playing a different note on the same string. In addition, the instrument has a fixed temperament that cannot be altered because of the fixed distance between the tangents of the notes on the same string. For example, a mean-tone tempered (a tuning method common during the Renaissance) fretted clavichord can't be retuned for a more modern equal-tempered temperament. While the fretted clavichord was dominant until the first half of the eighteenth century, the unfretted version became more popular. This instrument is