# What is the oldest(non organ) keyboard writing you can think of?



## clavichorder (May 2, 2011)

I just ran across sheet music by Antonio De Cabezon at the library. That's pretty archaic stuff! I have only heard it on recording, I'd love to play around with it myself. This is circa 1570, when the collection was published. I wonder if there is any interesting music that goes further back originally for keyboard, or contemporaneously transcribed from vocal or organ works to keyboard?


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## Renaissance (Jul 10, 2012)

Sebastian Virdung - Musica getutscht (1511). I don't know if this is the oldest, since the earliest known reference to a harpsichord dates from 1397. It is supposed that a guy named Hermann Poll was its inventor.


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## Ukko (Jun 4, 2010)

Aside from your insinuation that organ music isn't for keyboard... the harpsichord was around before 1500, was it not? And so was music notation. So... the music must be there, it's a matter of you finding it... and finding it interesting, eh?

[Hey, if I can't harass my friends, what's the point of going on?]


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## ComposerOfAvantGarde (Dec 2, 2011)

*Ligeti:* Basso Ostinato (1941)


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## Morganist (Jul 14, 2012)

clavichorder said:


> I just ran across sheet music by Antonio De Cabezon at the library. That's pretty archaic stuff! I have only heard it on recording, I'd love to play around with it myself. This is circa 1570, when the collection was published. I wonder if there is any interesting music that goes further back originally for keyboard, or contemporaneously transcribed from vocal or organ works to keyboard?


Hi this is my first post here. But I think the oldest piece would be Mi Lady Carey's Dompe or a piece similar when one had uses a reacurring tune will the other hand follows a melody. It sounds very middle ages and very enchanting.

Here it is with an introduction.

http://http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uJvucBDevyw


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## Morganist (Jul 14, 2012)

Hilltroll72 said:


> Aside from your insinuation that organ music isn't for keyboard... the harpsichord was around before 1500, was it not? And so was music notation. So... the music must be there, it's a matter of you finding it... and finding it interesting, eh?
> 
> [Hey, if I can't harass my friends, what's the point of going on?]


There is a difference to an organ in that it makes music through pipes rather than metal strings that are struck. I think that is the separating point of the OP's comment.


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