A Short History of the Clavichord
by Koen Vermeij

21 x 15 cm  |  39 pages  |  amply illustrated  |  paperbound  |  ISBN/EAN 978-90-73029-40-8  |  year of publication: 2013

Available from the BCS for $9, postage included. Orders should be sent to the BCS at P.O. Box 540484, Waltham, MA 02454. Payment by check or money order.

This short history of the clavichord was first written in Dutch on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the Dutch clavichord Society in 2007. Soon the German Clavichord Society asked for a translation into German, and this was published in 2008.

In this new English version information for British and American readers has been added, the text and illustrations have been updated, and the book has been extended by three pages. All in all, this “short history” can now be considered much more complete than it was at first.

From a review by Paul Rabin:

“The title of the new English edition of Koen Vermeij’s A Short History of the Clavichord is deceptive. In a handful of pages, it offers a remarkably compact, engaging, and informative introduction to the evolution of the instrument itself and its role in musical practice, to the primary documentary and iconographic evidence, and to the recent literature. Highly recommended.”