What is the ideal room in which to listen to a harpsichord?
Introduction
Each instrument is different, and therefore sounds different from others when played. And because of acoustics, certain instruments will sound better in some areas than in others. This project aims to find the ideal room in which to play and listen to a harpsichord.
Characteristics of a harpsichord
A harpsichord is similar to a piano in that it is a keyboard instrument, and its shape is reminiscent of a grand piano.
But, in terms of sound, the two instruments are very different. Whereas piano strings are struck with mallets, the strings on a harpsichord are plucked, traditionally with goose quills. This prevents the player from being able to vary the dynamics of the instument. In other words, the amplitude or intensity of the sound cannot be changed. This, combined with the fact that a harpsichord has strings that are smaller in diameter than those of a piano, gives the harpsichord a soft, quiet sound that doesn't always have the same presence as other instruments.
So, I have set out to find an acoustical environment condusive to the sound of a harpsichord.
Sound Preview of a harpsichord played by Teddy Wing (Canzona by Frescobaldi)
© 2007 Teddy Wing
