Harpsichord: A Symbol of the Resurrection

HARPSICHORD: A SYMBOL OF THE RESURRECTION

You may be wondering, what under the sun has the musical instrument the harpsichord got to do with Christ’s resurrection. You might be surprised by what history tells us.

Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)

Image source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Johann_Sebastian_Bach.jpg

You would be familiar with the sound of the harpsichord if you have ever had the privilege of listening to a musical performance of Johann Sebastian Bach’s Fifth Brandenburg Concerto. The harpsichord features in that concerto, and Bach was one who made great use of this instrument.

Bach has sometimes been affectionately referred to as the “fifth evangelist”. His Cantatas are sometimes called musical sermons. In The Cross Is Not Enough we mention that Bach’s Cantata BMV 51, “Make a Joyful Noise to God in All Lands” has been described as “a moment of musical resurrection.”

Danger Man Theme Music

Alternatively, those who are fans of Patrick McGoohan’s TV espionage series Danger Man would remember that the theme music (“High Wire”) to the series from 1964-66 featured the harpsichord.

HARPSICHORD AS A SYMBOL OF RESURRECTION

Image source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Harpsichord_VitalJulianFrey.jpg

During the seventeenth century, harpsichords were built in The Netherlands. The symbolism of the resurrection was incorporated into the decorating of harpsichords. Symbols from nature were often used, such as the “death” of the caterpillar that then is “resurrected” to life as the butterfly.

The point about decorating the harpischord was to bring together a fusion of music and art. Both music and art were meant to bring joy. It was thematically linked back to the biblical narratives about David playing the harp.

Sheridan Germann and Richard Rephanna (1995: 29) remark:

The goldfinch, often found as a resurrection symbol in vanitas still-life paintings occurred frequently on soundboards. Resurrection symbolism may have seemed particularly appropriate on musical instruments since the wood of the dead tree finds new life and voice in music. A motto sometimes found on musical instruments gave voice to this thought in the words ‘Dum vixi tacui, mortua dulce cano’ (in life I was silent; in death I sweetly sing).

SOURCES:

Sheridan Germann & Richard Rephann (1995). The Historical Harpsichord: Harpsichord Decoration and the Yale Taskin (Hillsdale, New York: Pendragon).

Ayako Otomo, “Meaning in Harpsichord Decoration: The Flemish and French Schools of Soundboard Painting” in Aesthetics and Experience in Musical Performance, eds Elizabeth Mackinlay, Denis Collins and Samantha Owens, (Newcastle UK: Cambridge Scholars Press, 2005), pp 99-112.

N.B. A separate post about the Goldfinch as a symbol of the Resurrection will appear in the near future at Animals Matter To God (see this post Goldfinch: Symbol for Resurrection).