cembalist

plural cembalists

1. historicalAn orchestral keyboard player; one who plays piano or harpsichord for an orchestra or ensemble.

   The position of cembalist was one of equal honor and responsibility.

   2013, Alexander Wheelock Thayer, Hermann Deiters, Hugo Riemann, The Life of Ludwig Van Beethoven: - Volume 1, →ISBN, page 72

   3 more examples

   Ensemble performances were led by the organist or cembalist ; he sat at his instrument, played the “accompaniment,” and directed the performance—now by movements of his head, now perhaps by beating time with one hand.

   1895, Edward Livermore Burlingame, Robert Bridges, Alfred Dashiell, Scribner's Magazine - Volume 17, page 384

   While the symphonies of Haydn and Mozart could conceivably be played fairly acceptably under the dual leadership of concertmaster and cembalist, the symphonies of Beethoven could not.

   1948, Pierre Van Rensselaer Key, Alfred Human, Musical Digest - Volume 30, page 18

   For instance, we read that Emanuel was “hired as first cembalist at a salary of three hundred thalers” and that he was: somewhat relieved when Christoph Nichelmann ... was appointed second cembalist in 1744, although this appointment was an occasion for Emanuel's embarrassment: Nichelmann was given a salary twice the size of his.

   2017, David Schulenberg, C.P.E. Bach, →ISBN, page 30