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Is the harpsichord a solo instrument?

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It certainly is. In fact, most keyboard music written before the late 18th century (apart from organ music) was intended for the harpsichord or one of its close relatives. Major composers who wrote extensively for the instrument include Bach and Scarlatti. read more

In its heyday, the harpsichord was not only a solo instrument, of course. It was also very widely used for accompaniment of other instruments or voices. In fact, it played pretty much the same musical role that the piano later did. read more

Solo harpsichord compositions included dance suites, fantasias, and fugues. Among the most famous composers who wrote for the harpsichord were the members of English virginal school of the late Renaissance, notably William Byrd (ca. 1540 – 1623). read more

Two other concertos include solo harpsichord parts: the concerto BWV 1044, which has solo parts for harpsichord, violin and flute, and Brandenburg Concerto No. 5 in D major, with the same scoring. In addition, there is a nine-bar concerto fragment for harpsichord (BWV 1059) which adds an oboe to the strings and continuo. read more

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