The clavichord, like the harpsichord, piano, virginal, spinet, and accordion, is a keyboard instrument. It belongs to the box zither family, alongside the dulcimer and autoharp. In clavichords, the main distinction is between fretted and unfretted versions.
The clavichord has a rectangular shape to it. Blades called tangents rise when the keys are pressed, striking the strings above them. The amount of force used to strike the key controls the dynamic, but the instrument’s sound range is limited, and it cannot play extremely loudly. The clavichord requires a different touch than other keyboard instruments because the tangent must be held against the strings and not allowed to bounce off.
The clavichord was Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach’s favorite instrument, but while the same sentiment has been attributed to his father, Johann Sebastian Bach, the fact that Bach senior reportedly had six harpsichords and no clavichords at the time of his death is thought to make it unlikely. The Well-Tempered Clavier, which refers to a piano, harpsichord, or clavichord, has been translated as The Well-Tempered Clavichord, which could be the source of the concept. Even though he was poor as a young man, Haydn reportedly told his biographer that when he was playing his clavichord, old and worn as it was, he did not envy even the king.
Christopher Hogwood, a specialist in Baroque music, has recorded several works for clavichord famous composers, using eighteenth-century instruments, including a clavichord once owned Mozart. Clavichord was used in the music for the 1963 film Tom Jones composer John Addison, and was also the inspiration for the theme of the television series Murder, She Wrote.