Early South
German Single Manual Harpsichords
A
handful of extant early South German harpsichords share a unique configuration:
the rows of jacks spread apart toward the bass producing marked differences in
the plucking points between registers. Examples include the 1537 Hans
Muller, the 1619 Johann Mayer, and an anonymous 17th C South German single in
the National Museum in Budapest. This configuration yields great contrasts
in timbre between registers, resulting in a fascinating variety of musical
possibilities.
We
make two models of this type of flared-register single. The first is in
the style of the 1619 Mayer. It is brass-strung throughout, 2 x 8', with
stop knobs through the cheek as on the original. It has three
registers: a deep-plucking back 8', a middle 8', and a front 8' plucking very
close to the nut (Nasalzug), with a buff stop on the latter two. This
arrangement produces a total of thirteen different sounds. Our
second model was originally commissioned by harpsichordist and composer, Robert
Edward Smith. It is a larger instrument, iron and brass strung, 2 x 8', GG
- d''' chromatic, stop levers through the nameboard, and a distinctive
double-miter tail. As in the first model, there are three registers
working the two sets of strings. It has a powerful voice and shows no fear
of large concert halls or hordes of modern string players.
"Mayer"
South German Single
Styled after the 1619 Mayer, this single has two choirs of brass strings
at 8' pitch and three registers: a deep-plucking 8', a middle 8', and a
close-plucking 8', with a buff stop on the latter two. This arrangement
produces a fascinating variety of sounds - thirteen in all - with great
character and clarity. Stop knobs are through the cheek as on the
original. The instrument is light weight and very easy to transport.
The case is varnished and the keyboard has hard maple naturals and pearwood
sharps. GG/BB - d''',transposable A415/A440, 2 x 8' plus nasalzug,
buff stop. Length 75", width 31".
The fully decorated version is painted black and decorated with freehand bronze
strapwork (similar to what is shown in the picture below). The soundboard
is painted in an early German style and has a cut parchment rose.
"Smith/Mayer"
South German Single (click on photo for full-size picture)
Harpsichordist and composer, Robert Edward Smith, commissioned us to design a
larger version of the Mayer single. To Mr. Smith's delight, this turned
out to be a powerful harpsichord, easily able to hold its own in large
ensembles. Its great variety of sounds also made it quite versatile.
This is a long-scaled, iron and brass strung, GG - d''' chromatic instrument,
with register stop levers through the nameboard. It has a distinctive,
double-mitered tail, and two parchment roses, as are found on the anonymous 17th
C instrument in Budapest described above. The soundboard is decorated in
an early German style. The case is painted black with freehand bronze
strapwork designs. The keyboard has hard maple naturals and ebony
sharps. GG - d''' chromatic, transposable A415/A440, 2 x 8' plus nasalzug,
buff stop. Length 84", width 33 1/2".
South German
Single
This is a brass-strung, 2 x 8' harpsichord with a more conventional parallel
register arrangement. The varnished case is a bit heavier in construction
and somewhat shorter in length than a typical Italian. This gives it a
sweeter, less brassy sound, with longer sustain. It is an excellent
continuo instrument and also plays a wide variety of harpsichord literature
quite nicely. The keyboard has hard maple naturals and pearwood
sharps. GG/BB - d''', transposable A415/A440, 2 x 8', buff stop.
Length 75", width 31".
18th
C GermanDouble (click on photo for full-size picture)
This imposing harpsichord has great power, brilliance, and clarity, making it
ideally suited for Bach. It has proven to be an exceptional concert
instrument. American cherry is used for the case, frame-and-panel lid, and
the handsome table stand. The soundboard is decorated in a later German
style. The keyboards have grenadilla naturals and bone-topped
sharps. GG - d''' chromatic, transposable A415/A440, 1 x 4', 2
x 8', buff stop. Length 92 1/2", width 34 1/2".
Flared-Register
German Double
William Carragan, a quantum physics professor, Bruckner scholar,
astronomer, and harpsichordist (yes, thats a very interesting combination),
asked if we could make a two manual version of our Smith/Mayer flared-register
single that went up to e. I
took the general concept of the single, added a 4 stop, put the back 8 and
4on the lower manual, and the middle 8 and Nasalzug on the upper.
This arrangement resulted in even deeper plucking points for the back
8 than on the Smith/Mayer. The
sound is dark and warm from the bass through the tenor, becoming round and fluty
into the treble. The 4 stop also
has unusually deep plucking points so it has more fundamental frequency than a
typical 4. The upper manual
stops provide an excellent contrast to the lowers.
The Nasalzug has a gentle bite to its sound, not harsh or jangling, so
its a very useful and appealing solo stop.