What a real harpsichord sounds like

Here Michael Gamble celebrates the final regulation of this wonderful harpsichord made by Clayson and Garret in 1970 for a major English public school. He's playing that wonderful song "The Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square". Although the automatic volume control of the camera recording probably cannot enable the YouTube video to make it audible, here we are going through many of the tonal variations of which this instrument is capable with 5 rows of jacks controlled by 6 pedals.

The pedals are from left to right:
Lower manual:
Peau de Boeuf 8ft
Quills 8ft
4ft
(Used together the quills and the peau de boeuf increase the volume fabulously)

Coupler to Upper Manual
8ft
Nazard 8ft
Buff - Lute stop

The construction of this instrument in 1970 was one of the first to use an authentic "guitar" type body construction rather than the piano type constructions of modern instruments. However, the piano construction is more suitable to modern central heating akin to an oven.

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Nightingale
• sang
• in
• Berkeley
• Square

[FernandRaynaud]

I'm looking for a tactful way to say that I find this sort of chromaticism has little relation to Jazz. It's a specific piano-bar idiom.

[latribe]

@FernandRaynaud That's a very nice way to say it! However, it's great that the harpsichord can do that too!

[Joaquin6646]

Is it possible to couple the keyboards on this type of harpsichord?

[latribe]

@Joaquin6646 Yes

[massicotted]

Why do you play jazz music on that instrument?

[latribe]

@massicotted Why not? The harpsichord is great for jazz - search "Jerzy Owczarz harpsichord" and you'll find more. Benjamin Britten composed with a harpsichord at his side, so harpsichords aren't at all all about Couperin

[Karlfalcon]

Why is there not more Harpsichord jazz? It seems so suited to it.

[Faroukh46]

It's obvious that this guy is an excellent piano player, but he has nothing to do with a harpsichord!! Please, do not corrupt an instrument asnoble and beautiful as it is! Why doing that to that instrument? Furthermore, there is a lot of little delicatessen from jazz that a harpsichord is not able to do, so, come on! I love both, jazz music and harpsichord, but the way that this video shows both together is not the best way. Regards!

[kotetsu131]

I can't handle this.

[AyatoriHio]

*U* woah it sounds so SO COOL!!!!

[zezoal3m]

thank u .. u fucked my ears

[mysticallauren]

it sounds creepy.

[TubeSpoker]

I understand, good playing ,,, but people as me are rating it bad because its a mess on harp... we learned a good lesson.

[CardinalPugwash]

@ShinyAndTouchable Absolutely!

Personally I don't like this sort of music BUT it does work perfectly well on the harpsichord and so does rock and roll, blues and ragtime!

[ShinyAndTouchable]

I don't get why people are so pissy about what music is played on a harpsichord. Music is music. Silence is our canvas and we are the artiste. We can paint it however is wanted. No one ever claimed the harpsichord had to be stuck in the past and only used for classical? I think it should be able to advance and be used in more than just Bach and Mozart! You people!

[RockBrent]

R.I.P headphone users.

[slayerrolkam]

I think that harpsichord was not made to play jazz, sorry