Harpsichord or piano? Different concepts in the 18th century keyboard music

Abstract

The article touches on the problem musicians come across while referring to compositions without a specified instrument they were meant for. This problem is particularly noticeable in the harpsichord music from the end of the 18th century when there were numerous keyboard instruments. Some of them, so to say, were at the end of their career (harpsichord, clavichord), others only at the beginning (piano). The author of the article is primarily interested in the dependency between the piano and the harpsichord, so he asks himself whether keyboard music from the Classical period can still be part of the harpsichord repertoire and to what degree harpsichord performances of Classical compositions can be justified in performance practice. The problem is discussed especially in reference to music by W.A. Mozart. The article presents the history of views on the possibility of Mozart’s works to be performed on historical instruments. It also provides the most up-to-date information on the position of the harpsichord at the end of the 18th century. The last part of the article discusses this instrument’s role in the creative output of W.A. Mozart. It is mainly based on the latest knowledge Siegbert Rampe acquired in recent years.