Keyboard Instruments

Question 1

Organ

Answer 1

Mechanical pipe organ works as: A blower pushes air through a regulating valve into a reservoir. Then the air goes through the wind-truck into the wind-chest. A row of pipes is controlled by a stop knob. When it is pushed out, a wooden slat called a slider is moved, and then this row of pipes can be played. When the organist depresses a key, a pallet opens, and air enters a key channel. All the pipes of that channel (whose stop knob have been pushed out) will sound.

The sound is produced by air flowing through pipes.
The air is under controlled pressure (commonly referred to as wind) that has been mechanically generated.
One or more sets of pipes are placed on a chest which stores the pressurised air.
The entrance of air into those pipes is controlled by a player operating one or more keyboards.

Question 2

Harpsichord

Answer 2

The harpsichord was most likely invented in the late Middle Ages.
Harpsichords vary in size and shape, but all have the same basic mechanism.

Mechanism:

• when the front of the key is pressed, the back of the key rises, the jack is lifted and the plectrum plucks the string.
• The vertical motion of the jack is then stopped by the jackrail (also called the upper rail), which is covered with soft felt to muffle the impact.
• when the key is released, the jack falls back down under its own weight, and the plectrum passes back under the string. This is made possible by having the plectrum held in a tongue attached with a pivot and a spring to the body of the jack.
• when the jack arrives in fully lowered position, the felt damper touches the string, causing the note to cease.

While many harpsichords have one string per note, more elaborate harpsichords can have two or more strings for each note. Two advantages: the ability to vary volume and ability to vary tonal quality.

Lute-harpsichord: simulates the sound of a plucked lute.
The term denotes the whole family of similar plucked-keyboard instruments, including the smaller virignals, muselar, and spinet.

The harpsichord: can’t control the volume, no pedal. You press the note and even if you stay on the key, the sound stops.

Question 3

Clavichord

Answer 3

The clavichord was invented in the early fourteenth century. Used largely in the Late Middle Ages, though the Renaissance, Baroque and Classical eras. Historically, it was mostly used as a practice instrument and as an aid to composition, not being loud enough for larger performances.
The volume of the note can be changed by striking harder or softer, and the pitch can also be affected by varying the force of the tangent against the string (known as Bebung).
The player can control attack, duration, and volume and even provide certain subtle effects of swelling of tone and a type of vibrato unique to the clavichord .
Bebung: it:tremolo and fr:balancement

Mechanism:
The keys are levers with a small brass tangent, a small piece of metal, at the far end.
The strings, usually of brass, or else a combination of brass and iron, are usually arranged in pairs, like a lute or mandolin. When the key is pressed, the tangent strikes the strings above. Unlike in a piano action, the tangent does not rebound from the string; rather, it stays in contact with the string as long as the key is held. When the key is released, the tangent loses contact with the string and the vibration of the strings is silenced by strips of damping cloth.

Clavichord could be stacked, one clavichord on top of another, to provide multiple keyboards. With the addition of a pedal clavichord, which included a pedal keyboard for the lower notes, a clavichord could be used to practice organ repertoire.

Question 4

Forte Piano

Answer 4

Two times: harpsichord and clavichord