NYC: Pimp My Harpsichord

photo by Ballard Avenue

Not only does the Metropolitan have great collections of art, they have a terrific collection of musical instruments, and your itinerant pianists had to stop to check out the ivories. The museum owns the oldest piano extant. We swooned, but the lighting was too dim to get a decent snap of a black piano. But the museum did have some lights up on this harpsichord. With sea monsters, mermaids, nymphs, and enough bling for any two downtown rappers, this harpsichord is the epitome of 17th century pimp.