What does harpsichord mean?
Word: Harpsichord
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: Harpsichord means an old keyboard instrument, shaped rather like a grand piano, whose strings are plucked instead of being struck by hammers.
How do you spell harpsichord?
Syllables: harp - si - chord
Tricky part: The end is spelt chord, with an h after the c, as in the musical term. Pupils who hear only kord leave the h out and write harpsicord.
Watch out for: harpsicord, harpsichoard
Memory tip: This instrument plays chords, so spell the end of its name exactly like the musical word.
Harpsichord in a sentence
Example 1: Our music teacher played a recording of a harpsichord to show how old instruments sounded.
Example 2: The harpsichord at the museum is more than two hundred years old.
Example 3: A harpsichord has a crisp, silvery sound, quite unlike the softer tone of a piano.
Fun Fact
This instrument ruled European music in the time of Bach and Handel. It fell out of favour when the piano arrived, because its player cannot make notes louder or softer by pressing harder on the keys.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Cookie
One word in this sentence is misspelt. Find it:
The visiting musician sat at the polished harpsichord and played a lively old dance to the delighted audiance at the town hall.
a) audiance
b) harpsichord
c) polished
d) musician
Show answer
a) audiance. Audience ends in ence, the same as science.
Word Cookie
Insert the correct pair of letters to complete the word:
h_rps_chord
a) e, e
b) a, e
c) u, i
d) a, i
Show answer
d) a, i. The word opens with the name of another stringed instrument, and a short i follows.
Mingle-Mangle
Rearrange the letters in the sentence to form a meaningful word:
A sdhroaipcrh has strings inside a wooden case, and they sound when the player presses the keys.
a) mandolin
b) harpsichord
c) harmonium
d) harmonica
Show answer
b) harpsichord. Strings and keys together point to one instrument, and only its name has a p, an s and a d.
Spell-o-Spell
Choose the meaning of the only correctly spelt word:
1. cresendo 2. harpsichord 3. simphony 4. orchestera
a) a long piece of music for many players
b) a large group playing many instruments together
c) a plucked keyboard instrument of past centuries
d) a gradual rise in loudness
Show answer
c) a plucked keyboard instrument of past centuries. A missing c, an i in place of a y and an extra e are the three slips in this list.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. What would you most expect to see on a harpsichord?
a) a tight skin across a drum
b) a long brass sliding tube
c) a line of small finger holes
d) rows of black and white keys
Show answer
d) rows of black and white keys
2. A repairer restoring an old harpsichord would most likely replace ____
a) a cracked reed in the mouthpiece
b) a bent valve on the brass tube
c) the skin stretched over the rim
d) a worn string inside the case
Show answer
d) a worn string inside the case
