The Baroque Harpsichord Concerto
Composers wrote harpsichord concertos throughout the Baroque era, notably Johann Sebastian Bach (see harpsichord concertos (J. S. Bach).
The harpsichord was a common instrument, but never as popular as string or wind instruments in the concerto role, probably due to its relative lack of volume in an orchestral setting. In this context, harpsichords were more usually employed as a continuo instrument, playing a harmonised bass part in nearly all orchestral music, the player often also directing the orchestra.
Bach's Brandenburg Concerto No.5 in D major, BWV 1050, may be the first work in which the harpsichord appears as a concerto soloist. In this piece, its usual continuo role is alternated with prominent solo obbligato episodes in all three movements. In the first movement the harpsichord, after rapid scales up and down the length of its range, embarks on a solo cadenza which lasts for 3–4 minutes, while the orchestra is silent.
Read more about this topic: Harpsichord Concertos
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