Bach Keyboard History

The term keyboard, according to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, is “a musical instrument that is played by means of a keyboard like that of a piano and that produces sounds electronically.” This is the modern definition of a keyboard, as it can be used as a term describing any key-like instrument which does not contain a firmly established identity, such as the clavichord and the harpsichord. The keyboard has been a prevalent instrument since as early as the third century BC, and therefore has encountered a multitude of transformations throughout the ages. As with any musical revolution, not only do the instruments transform, but so do characteristics of compositions and the style in which music is performed. From the Classical
period through the twenty-first century, performing techniques of keyboard instruments, as well as the instruments themselves, have shifted alongside history with the increasing rate of technology, as well as the inevitable societal desire for innovation and change.
A variety of characteristics, style techniques, and instruments assist in defining the multiple different eras of music. Various keyboard instruments were explored from the Classical era through present day, including the clavichord, clavinet, harpsichord, fortepiano, and the pianoforte.
The clavichord, although developed in the late Medieval period, was popular throughout the Classical era as well. Because of its quiet performance, it was often used as a practice instrument. The way in which the clavichord produces sound, is through striking a string with a tangent, a piece of metal that connects to the end of a clavichord key, and the sound created is similar to a soft stringed instrument. This instrument required performers with exceptional technique due to the complexities of hitting the tangents in the correct spot. The clavichord can produce vibrato because the tangent remains in contact with the string, much like how a violinist would produce vibrato. This vibrato characteristic is unique to the clavichord amid other various keyboard instruments.
A close relative of the clavichord is the Clavinet, which is essentially a clavichord amplified electronically. It was created in the late 20th century, and has been used in genres such as funk, rock, and reggae. This invention helped pave the way for modern keyboards such as the electric keyboard and synthesizers. The harpsichord was certainly a significant keyboard instrument used throughout the Renaissance and Baroque periods, however composers such as J. C. Bach, Joseph Haydn, and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart composed music for the harpsichord during their early careers’ within the Classical period as well. It was also used for accompaniment for operas throughout the Classical and Romantic periods. The harpsichord produces sound by strumming a string when a key is pressed, and can have a rather nasally tone. The fortepiano was invented in the early 18th century by an Italian instrument maker named Bartolomeo Cristofori. It was commonly used in the Classical and Romantic periods by famous composers Mozart, Franz Liszt, and Claude Debussy. The fortepiano has strings similar to that of the harpsichord, and it generates a sound akin to the modern piano. This keyboard instrument originally had a range of about four octaves, although it gradually expanded over the years of its existence. Some fortepianos had pedals consistent to those of modern pianos, however many fortepianos instead had knee levers or hand stops. The fortepiano quickly developed into the modern day pianoforte, or piano. Keyboard styles and techniques such as the galant style, and empfindsamer stil, help to define the use of the keyboard within music during the Classical period. The galant style was prevalent not only within music during the 1700s, but it also applied to literature and visual art. This style was formed with the intention of resembling stark contrasts to characteristics from the Baroque period, highlighting notions of simplicity, and elegance. Empfindsamer Stil was extremely similar to the galant style, however whereas the galant style hails from France, Empfindsamer Stil is of German origin. Empfindsamer Stil is also unique from the galant style in which it refrains from exuberant ornamentation. However both styles imply a dramatic shift from the Baroque era into a new era: Classical.
Composers such as Mozart, Haydn, and J.
C. Bach exemplify adequate usage of Classical era techniques on the keyboard. J. C. Bach’s composition, “Concerto for Harpsichord or Piano and Strings in E-flat Major,” serves as an ample example of the use and stylistic techniques of the keyboard in the Classical era. The keyboard concerto was a popular genre throughout the classical era, and J. C. Bach was perhaps one of the most influential composers in this category, as he was among the first to compose this particular genre. Throughout this piece, there are three movements, a fast movement followed by a slow movement, and then another fast movement. This organization was extremely typical for solo concertos in the 1700s. The galant style is heard in this piece through the lush ornamentation and sophistication. For example, in measure 17, one can note the elegance in the recurring 32nd to dotted 8th notes. As this composition calls for either a harpsichord or a piano, one might contend that a piano would be better suited, due to the lack of dynamic contrast achievable on the
harpsichord.
The Romantic era brought on countless adjustments and additions to the style of music that contrasted with that of the Classical period. Romantic period composers encouraged homophonic textures, dramatic contrasts in dynamics, use of chromaticism, and a multitude of melodic ideas. The keyboard provided an expressiveness that could vitalize the emotions desired within music. Claude Debussy is a leading example of how the keyboard was used throughout the Romantic period. He explored a variety of new harmonies and dissonances that had not been previously been delved into. Franz Liszt is another Romantic composer who embodied the era’s characteristics. In his composition, “Trois etudes de concert: No. 3, Un sospiro,” he “elicited new sounds and textures from the instrument and forced pianists to develop new techniques” (Burkholder, V.2, 385). The piece is full of lavish arpeggiations involving the switching of hands underneath a slow moving melody, which requires advanced training and technical skill for performers. Not only were Liszt’s techniques unique and challenging, but they also demonstrated the emotional element appreciated in the Romantic era.
Throughout the twentieth and twenty-first century, the piano has been used within both Jazz and Experimental music. “Jazz piano,” is a term used for the various techniques jazz performers use when playing the keyboard. The piano is an integral part of learning jazz technique due to its harmonic and melodic potentiality. In Bessie Smith’s “Back Water Blues” (1927), one can distinguish the use of twelve-bar blues, which was a common harmonic pattern within this subgenre of jazz music. This progression is made possible by the boundless capabilities the piano contains during performance (Burkholder, V.3, 221).
Experimental keyboard music can involve unique techniques such as a performance inside the piano using the strings, special effect involving recordings of piano, as well as adding foreign materials to the piano.
In 1946-48, John Cage composed “Sonatas and Interludes: Sonata V” for the piano, and placed foreign materials between the strings of the keys in order to produce the unique sound. “He discovered that he could create percussion-like sounds on the piano by inserting small objects between the strings,” (Burkholder, V.3, 542). He was inspired by Henry Cowell, who explored similar methods of experimentation, for example in “The Banshee,” he performed inside the piano directly on the strings. Again, because the piano is ever so diverse in structure, composers can continuously create new sounds and
styles.
Today, the piano is used in a wide array of genres. Modern-day composers are still interested in the usage of older keyboard inventions as well, such as the Clavinet. For instance, Stevie Wonder has been noted to use the Clavinet in his works, “Superstition,” “You Haven’t Done Nothin’,” and “Higher Ground.” Because the many different keyboards can individually acquire a vast range of expression and style, the keyboard will inevitably remain an adaptable, ever-changing instrument.