Clavatuur

Clavatuur is a term used in musicology and organology to denote the keyboard mechanism of keyboard instruments, especially in historical contexts. The word derives from Latin clavatura, related to clav-"clavis" meaning key, and has a Dutch cognate in klavatuur. In practice, clavatuur refers to the collective components that translate a keyboard press into sound, including the key itself, its pivot, guiding rails, and the action that activates the sounding element.

In different instrument families, the clavatuur comprises distinct mechanisms. In the clavichord, pressing a key raises a tangent that strikes the string; in the harpsichord and virginal, a key moves a jack that causes a plectrum or tongue to pluck or articulate a string; in the piano, the key movement initiates the hammer through a complex mechanism with escapement. The clavatuur thus covers the keyboard's layout, the timing and throw of the action, touch and response, and often the alignment of keys and the set of mechanism parts.

Historically, clavatuur developed from simple leverage systems to more sophisticated escapement and hammer actions, paralleling advances in tonal production, touch, and dynamic control. Restoration and performance of early keyboards often require study of the clavatuur to understand and reproduce historical touch and response.

See also: keyboard (piano), clavichord, harpsichord, organ mechanism, keyboard action.