On the other hand, it has distinction and elegance.

As the player can not modify the intensity of the sound by a single pressure of the finger--in which it resembles the organ--like the organ, with its multiple keyboards and registers, the harpsichord has a wide variety of effects and affords the opportunity for several octaves to sound simultaneously.

As a result, while music written for the harpsichord gains in strength and expression on the modern instrument, it often assumes a deceptive monotony for which the author is not responsible.
The players of the harpsichord were ignorant of muscular effects; there was nothing of the unchained lion about them.

The delicate hands of a marquise lost none of their gracefulness as they skimmed over the keyboards, and the red or black keys emphasized their whiteness.
The introduction of the hammer in the place of the tiny nib permitted the modification of the quality of sound by differences in the pressure of the fingers, and also the production at will of such nuances as _forte_ and _piano_ without recourse to the different registers.

This is the reason why the new instrument was first called the pianoforte.