What is the difference between an organ and a harpsichord?

Answer 1

1. The way it generates sound - the harpsichord plucks a string while the organ generates sound with the vibration of air passing through pipes;

2. The sound - the harpsichord has a string metalic sound, a cross between guitar and harp, while the organ's sound depends on the stops that are pulled. If all stops are pulled then it has a powerful characteristic sound; the sound on a hapsichord also fades quickly, while on the organ it lasts as long as you keep the key pressed;

3. The existence of pedals - the harpsichord has no pedals, while the organ has the bass pedals;

4. Appearance - the haprsichords resemble pianos in shape and size and have usually have various painting in them, while the organ is many times bigger due to the huge number and big size of the bass pipes.

5. Use - the organs are mostly used in churches where they sit all their lives since they are too big to be easily moved, while the harpsichords sit at houses or a concert halls.

6. Price - Organs are generally way more expensive than harpsichords (unless they're really small, but that's not common)