The harpsichord is the king of Baroque keyboards. Its famous limitation (no way to play louder or softer on a single keyboard) pushed composers toward other means of expression: virtuoso ornaments, dense polyphony, and contrast between manuals.
Bach, Handel, Scarlatti, Rameau, and Couperin all wrote for the harpsichord. In the 20th century the harpsichord experienced a renaissance thanks to the authentic-performance movement: performers Wanda Landowska, Gustav Leonhardt, and Scott Ross returned it to the major stage. Ukraine's historically informed scene is actively developing in Kyiv, Lviv and other cities — the festivals Kyiv Baroque Fest, Music in Old Lviv and the international Bach-fest in Sumy give early music its natural voice.
