A Dictionary of Music and Musicians/Clavecin

CLAVECIN. The French name for a harpsichord, derived from clavicymbalum. According to M. Viollet Le-Duc (Dictionnaire du Mobilier Français. 1872) the clavecin superseded the psaltery in France some time in the 16th century. [See Harpsichord and Psaltery.]

[ A. J. H. ]