keyboard
keyboard.
1. A frame, or set, of keys presented in a continuous arr. The purpose of kbds. is to enable the 2 hands (e.g. on pf. or harmonium) or the 2 hands and 2 feet (org.) readily to control the sounds from a much larger number of str., reeds, or pipes than could otherwise be controlled. One standardized apparatus of this sort, which has been gradually developed over a long period, has come to be universally adopted: it is by no means the most convenient imaginable, but the conservatism of musicians will probably prevent its supersession unless some drastic change in the scales used in mus. (e.g. by the general adoption of microtones) makes such a change imperative. The unchanging span of the octave is determined by the average span of the human hand.
The earliest kbd. was, apparently, that of the org., used for perf. of sacred melodic plainsong. In those days, mus. was still modal and the longer finger-keys, as we still have them, were all that were needed. With the coming into use of the practice of musica ficta a B♭ was found to be desirable and space for it was made by placing a short finger-key between the A and B♮ (it appears that a few kbds. like this still existed as late as the beginning of the 17th cent.). Other fingerkeys were similarly added, and our present-day kbd. of 7 different long and broad keys and 5 short and narrow ones so came into existence. This still leaves out many notes (e.g. B♯, if required, has to be played as C, F♭ as E, etc.). The restricted no. of keys which the individual can manipulate, and the necessity of avoiding the high cost of providing a large number of extra organ pipes, str., etc., precluded the provision of further finger-keys, and the difficulty was overcome by methods of tuning, at first, partially, with mean-tone tuning and then, fully, with equal temperament tuning (see temperament). There have been a good many attempts at the invention of a kbd. which would be free (or largely free) from this principle of compromise, but whilst some of them have been scientifically interesting none has proved of practical value in mus. making. Various ingenious inventions, such as the Janko kbd., have also proved ephemeral.
2. The term is also used generally, as in ‘keyboard works’, to indicate that the works may be played on more than one kind of kbd. instr.
1. A frame, or set, of keys presented in a continuous arr. The purpose of kbds. is to enable the 2 hands (e.g. on pf. or harmonium) or the 2 hands and 2 feet (org.) readily to control the sounds from a much larger number of str., reeds, or pipes than could otherwise be controlled. One standardized apparatus of this sort, which has been gradually developed over a long period, has come to be universally adopted: it is by no means the most convenient imaginable, but the conservatism of musicians will probably prevent its supersession unless some drastic change in the scales used in mus. (e.g. by the general adoption of microtones) makes such a change imperative. The unchanging span of the octave is determined by the average span of the human hand.
The earliest kbd. was, apparently, that of the org., used for perf. of sacred melodic plainsong. In those days, mus. was still modal and the longer finger-keys, as we still have them, were all that were needed. With the coming into use of the practice of musica ficta a B♭ was found to be desirable and space for it was made by placing a short finger-key between the A and B♮ (it appears that a few kbds. like this still existed as late as the beginning of the 17th cent.). Other fingerkeys were similarly added, and our present-day kbd. of 7 different long and broad keys and 5 short and narrow ones so came into existence. This still leaves out many notes (e.g. B♯, if required, has to be played as C, F♭ as E, etc.). The restricted no. of keys which the individual can manipulate, and the necessity of avoiding the high cost of providing a large number of extra organ pipes, str., etc., precluded the provision of further finger-keys, and the difficulty was overcome by methods of tuning, at first, partially, with mean-tone tuning and then, fully, with equal temperament tuning (see temperament). There have been a good many attempts at the invention of a kbd. which would be free (or largely free) from this principle of compromise, but whilst some of them have been scientifically interesting none has proved of practical value in mus. making. Various ingenious inventions, such as the Janko kbd., have also proved ephemeral.
2. The term is also used generally, as in ‘keyboard works’, to indicate that the works may be played on more than one kind of kbd. instr.
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keyboard