Plural of gravicembalo; keyboard instruments designed to play with varying dynamics by means of gravity, a type of harpsichord.
From Italian 'gravicembalo,' combining 'gravicembalo' (gravity harpsichord). An experimental instrument type from the Renaissance and Baroque periods attempting to overcome the harpsichord's limitation of dynamic control.
The gravicembalo was an early attempt at the piano problem—composers wanted keyboard instruments that could play soft and loud, and some designers literally tried using gravity and weighted mechanisms before Cristofori invented the modern piano.
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