Book contents
- A History of Stringed Keyboard Instruments
- A History of Stringed Keyboard Instruments
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Figures
- Tables
- Preface and Acknowledgments
- Pitch Notation Conventions
- One Keyboard Origins
- Two Principles of Design and Construction
- Three The Henri Arnaut Manuscript
- Four The Renaissance
- Five The Baroque Period
- Six The Invention of the Piano
- Seven The Classical Period
- Eight The Romantic Era
- Nine Stagnation and Revival
- Bibliography
- Index
Two - Principles of Design and Construction
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 03 April 2022
- A History of Stringed Keyboard Instruments
- A History of Stringed Keyboard Instruments
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Figures
- Tables
- Preface and Acknowledgments
- Pitch Notation Conventions
- One Keyboard Origins
- Two Principles of Design and Construction
- Three The Henri Arnaut Manuscript
- Four The Renaissance
- Five The Baroque Period
- Six The Invention of the Piano
- Seven The Classical Period
- Eight The Romantic Era
- Nine Stagnation and Revival
- Bibliography
- Index
Summary
This chapter deals with the design and construction of keyboard instruments and covers topics such as Mersenne’s Law, keyboard compass, scaling, plucking and striking points, string tension, case and soundboard proportion and structure, as well as technical descriptions of harpsichord, clavichord, and piano mechanisms, including the so-called “English” and “Viennese” hammer actions. Early English, Nuremberg, Berlin, and Vienna wire gauges are compared.
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- Information
- A History of Stringed Keyboard Instruments , pp. 32 - 141Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2022