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The Early Clavier Methods

Before the technique of the early piano can be adequately studied, it is mandatory to investigate that of its predecessors, the harpsichord and the clavichord. In fact, the clavier touch was transferred directly to the early piano. The harpsichord, which achieved its greatest influence and usage during the eighteenth century, has an action in which the string, when the key is depressed, is plucked by a plectrum attached to an upright jack. The plectrum, also called the quill, early was made from the quills of bird feathers and even from small pieces of metal. Leather has been most frequently used, even down to the present day. Recently plastic has been used with considerable success. The tone quality will vary with the material used.

The point of tone is reached very quickly in the key’s descent—a third to a half of the way down. Little force is needed to pluck the string; the action of the fingers is adequate for most of the literature. If two or more sets of strings are coupled to the same manual or keyboard, more plectra will have to be activated simultaneously. Thus more resistance will need to be overcome in the touch. Volume is largely predetermined by the registration and the construction of the instrument and cannot be significantly increased by the application of greater force. Some hand and arm movement is needed in chord production, but with no more of the weight of the arms brought to bear than is necessary. Too much force, even with a finger action, is undesirable because of the loss of sensitivity and control and also because of the resulting percussive noises which are more noticeable than those heard in the piano action. The arm needs to be suspended over the keyboard in a weightless manner. It serves as a stationary base for the action of the fingers. The movement of the arm, necessary in controlling horizontal placement of the hand, should be executed in a quiet, graceful, and curvilinear manner.

The nature of harpsichord tone – bright, shimmering, incisive, well-defined, and more easily sustained than generally realized — requires the most careful attention to articulation. Keyboard music of the Elizabethan and baroque periods, with its polyphonic lines and embellishing features, is perfectly suited to the harpsichord, in tone and in action. There is no room at all for vagueness of touch—every tone stands out in sharp relief. A legato is completely controlled by the fingers—the slightest deficiency is immediately evident. Varying the length of sound duration of individual notes can produce a sense of accent or increasing intensity within a tonal line. The instrument has an infinite capacity for subtle rubato and this should be achieved with the lightest possible degree of pressure in the finger tips. The fingers must be held close to the keys and move in as precise a manner as possible. The plectrum action against the string can be felt in the keyboard touch to a very remarkable degree and in itself presents a great challenge to the performer.

The little sister of the harpsichord, the clavichord, reached its greatest popularity a century earlier than the harpsichord. It was especially prized in Germany and greatly loved by Johann Sebastian Bach. The clavichord’s small, intimate tone suited it ideally to the home. Its lovely “beseelter Ton,” soulful sound and tender expressive quality, is produced by small brass tangents or wedges which press against the strings and vibrate them in much the same manner as a violinist’s bow presses against the string. Wanda Landowska described its tone as “a timid sound, melancholy and infinitely sweet.”¹ The tone can be sustained and even renewed with a tremolo-like finger pressure. This haunting effect, which will cause a slight variance in the pitch, is termed Bebung. Since the dynamic intensity of the tone may be controlled by the fingers from the softest degree of pianissimo to a moderate mezzo forte, its touch is even more sensitive than that of the harpsichord.

The early writers advocated that harpsichordists perfect their technique at the clavichord: the subtle coloring that they would be able to achieve would be most beneficial to their musicianship. Eta Harich-Schneider commented that “It is not that the clavichord technique should be transplanted, but rather that the quality of tone colour of this extremely rich and sensitive instrument should nourish the creative imagination of the harpsichordist.” Pianists today should likewise perfect and discipline their touch, as well as sharpen their listening powers, by working at both the harpsichord and the clavichord.

There is great value in studying what the clavier writers had to say about the technique and performance of their instruments. The earliest clavier method of any real importance, Il Transilvano by Olrolamo Diruta, was written in Venice in about 1600. He wrote:

The rule of how to play with dignity and grace is based on certain main points. . .. The first thing is that the organist should sit with his body exactly before the middle of the keyboard, the second that he must not make gestures or movements with his body, but hold himself, chest and head, erect and poised. The third thing is to know that the arm leads the hand, and the hand must be held strictly on the same levelas the arm, neither higher nor lower. The fourth, that the fingers stand all evenly on the keyboard, although slightly arched…. Besides all this the hand must be placed on the keyboard with ease and facility — otherwise the fingers cannot move with agility and promptitude…. Let the arm guide the hand — this is the most important rule before all the others.

And lastly, the keys should be gently depressed, never struck, and the fingers withdrawn in lifting the key. Although these precepts may appear of little or no moment, they are nevertheless of very great utility in rendering the harmony smooth and sweet, and freeing the organist from all impediments in his playing.

The discussion is in the form of a dialogue and the pupil, II Transilvano, replies:

I allow that these rules may be useful, but what can that do to the Harmony, whether your head be straight or awry, or your fingers flat or curved?

Diruta answers:

They do not affect directly the Harmony, but the gravity and elegance of the organist: they are the cause of that admirable combination of charm and grace so noticeable in Signor Claudio Merulo. He who twists and turns about shall be likened to the ridiculous actor in the Comedy. Besides, the work of such a man will not succeed as it might; he prefers his own caprice, and scorns true art, rendering difficult many things which would otherwise be easy.. . .

And how to hold the hands lightly and loosely on the keys, I shall give you an example: when you want to give an angry slap, you use strength; but if you mean to caress, you use no strength, but on the contrary relax your hand as for fondling a babe.

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Article posted by Alan Fraser for PianoTechnique.net