The instrument described is a clavichord.
Although not very popular nowadays, it was important between the 15th and the 19th century. In popular music, variations of it can be found in songs by artists such as Stevie Wonder and Bjork, but they mostly used the electric version of the instrument.
<span>In the early 19th century the face of Europe, however, became radically altered by industrialization. Poverty, squalor, and desperation were to be the fate of the new working class created by the "revolution." In response to these changes going on in society, the movement of Realism emerged. Realism sought to accurately portray the conditions and hardships of the poor in the hopes of changing society.</span>