A harpsichord is a type of keyboard or piano instrument which belongs to the family of European keyboard instruments. The harpsichord is a large instrument which generates sound by the plucking of a string rather than striking a note like in the Piano or a clavichord. It is said that the harpsichord family originated when a keyboard was affixed to the end of a psaltery, by this it allowed the mechanical means for the plucking of the strings. This instrument in general English is known as the Harpsichord, however it is also known as the 'cembalo' or the 'clavicembalo' in Italian. In the German language it is also known as the Cembalo. In the French language a harpsichord is known as the Calvecin. It is believed that the harpsichord originated sometime in the 1300s.
