Plural of harpsichord; keyboard instruments with plucked strings, common in Renaissance and Baroque music.
From Italian arpicordo (arpare 'to play the harp' plus corda 'string'), adopted into English and pluralized with -s. The instrument name literally means 'harp-string' in Italian.
Harpsichords created a sound crisis in Baroque music because they couldn't produce crescendos like pianos—composers like Bach had to invent musical techniques like adding instruments or switching keyboards to create dynamic contrast, which actually made the music more creative and complex.
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