A B O U T T H E I N S T R U M E N T S
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In the past, some builders have tried to change the historical design of the harpsichord, claiming that today's economy, performance practices, and the expectations of modern musicians are incompatible with the quirks of the old instrument. This is indeed true, to a point, for any baroque instrument: a gut-strung violin needs much more tuning than a modern one; a baroque-style wooden flute does not produce a smooth and consistent sound in every key like its modern counterpart (nor should it!); and a harpsichord is never as maintenance-free as a good Steinway Grand. The so-called "improvements", however, have produced the most disastrous results, both musically and aesthetically. Fortunately, the Early Music movement has significantly matured since the days of plywood cases, piano wire, sprayed laquer finish, etc. Both the musicians and the instrument makers have come to realize that one has to adjust one's mindset in order to play a baroque instrument and that the result is well worth the effort. |
I strive to build harpsichords which reproduce, as closely as we understand, the sound and touch of the antique instruments on the day they left their makers' workshops. The harpsichords built this way have proven to provide the most rewarding musical experience for the performer and the listener.
To this end, whenever possible, I use the same practices, techniques, and materials which were used by the old masters.
I use machines to mill wood, but most other work is done just as it was done centuries ago: I plane, sand, scrape moldings, put on finish, etc., by hand. I personally select and import from Italy Mediterranean cypress and Alpine spruce. I use traditional hide glue throughout the case construction. Every part of my instruments (except for the string wire, pins, nails, and lid hinges) is made in my workshop.
These are the best ways I know to ensure the musical, structural and visual integrity of my instruments.
I offer harpsichords after two different national styles: Italian and German.
The Italian harpsichord sounds like no other: its clear voice and articulate
attack seem to match the rhythm, cadence and beauty of the Italian language
itself. The ones I build are modeled after some of the great instruments
made in Italy during the 16th and 17th centuries: that of Alessandro
Trasuntino, a famous early 16-century Venetian builder, and two anonymous
antiques from the end of the 17th century, one attributed to Giovanni
Battista Giusti, another to Giacomo Ridolfi.
The German-style harpsichord I make is after the famous 1728 Hamburg instrument
by Christian Zell. For more information
on these instrument, please go the their individual pages. My offerings
are not limited to the instruments listed here, however: I would be delighted
to make any harpsichord of a client's choosing.
The Construction
Although I offer several different models of harpsichords, there are construction
practices common to all them, which will be enumerated below. Where appropriate,
I will make the distinction between the Italian and the German instruments.
Italian harpsichords displayed the most ingenious symbiosis of form and function: every functional detail added visual interest, every decorative flourish was there to fulfill a structural need.
The case was very lightly constructed (4-6 mm thick), usually of Mediterranean cypress. It was almost always left undecorated on the outside, except for the ornate moldings at the top and bottom of the case. The thick top molding was often embellished with ebony stringing and/or with evenly-spaced ivory buttons. The inlayed stringing was there to cover the joint between two sides of the curved molding on the bentside, whereas the buttons were a way to disguise the nails fastening the moldings to the case sides. The moldings themselves were not merely decorative, either: they were necessary to strengthen and stabilize the edges of the very light case.
All these details, however, did not merely mask glue joints and nail holes: belying their humble utilitarian origins, they created the characteristically delicate, elegant appearance of an Italian "inner" instrument.
click on image to enlarge
As the harpsichord itself was very light and fragile, the practice evolved of enclosing it in a much more substantial "outer case" with a lid. The sides of the "inner case" (i.e., the instrument itself) were therefore left plain, since they were hidden by the "outer case", but the latter was often elaborately decorated with painted arabesques, garlands, figures, carving, gilt, tooled leather, etc.
As time went by, a more economical practice evolved of building harpsichords
with thicker case walls, which did not require a separate outer case.
The old tradition was so strong, however, that the makers veneered those
thicker case sides with cypress around the string well, to create the
illusion of a bare-wood harpsichord residing in its painted outer case.
The instruments of this type are commonly referred to as "false inner-outer".
I offer my Italian-style instruments in both forms, as "true inner-outers" with a separate outer case, or as "false inner/outers". In the case of the former, I make the harpsichord itself of Mediterranean cypress which I import from Italy, or from cedar of Lebanon, whereas the separate outer case is constructed of poplar and painted in one or more color. When I build a "false inner-outer", the inner parts are of cypress veneer, while the case sides and lid are constructed of poplar, also painted.
I offer several decorative options, both for "inner" and the "outer" cases; please go to the Decorative Options page for more details.
German harpsichords vary a great deal in their construction, showing the influence of both the Franco-Flemish and Italian schools. The model I am offering -- the 1728 Zell -- is constructed in the Italian "false inner-outer" manner. I like to accentuate this feature by veneering the "inner" with cypress or cedar of Lebanon.
The choice of wood
For the most part, the choice of wood species used for the case construction
is based on historical practice.
Soundboard
Early Italian harpsichord (from the 16th century through about the middle
of the 17th century) favored cypress as the soundboards wood. Later, spruce
and fir became the woods of choice. In my opinion, the latter two produce
a more interesting sound and have a longer sustain. The old makers must
also have reached this conclusion, since many surviving antiques from
the later part of the 17th century have this kind of soundboard. Having
said that, however, if it is historically appropriate (the Trasuntino
is a case in point), or if it is a client's preference, I will be happy
to make a cypress soundboard.
The spruce I use is air-dried Picea excelsa from the Dolomite mountains of Northern Italy. I use it for German soundboards as well. The cypress is air-dried Cupressus sempiverens, Mediterranean cypress, which I also import from Italy.
Structural wood
The bottom boards of my instrument are of quarter-sawn fir. Wood cut in
this manner tends to move less across the grain as the seasons change
and the humidity level fluctuates. Since there are many structures glued
across the grain in these instruments, it greatly improves the overall
stability of the instrument if the bottom boards stay flat from season
to season.
Structural members such as knees and liners are of poplar or soft maple.
Wrest planks are hard maple counter-veneered with spruce at the top and bottom. This practice helps limit the movement across the grain of this big slab of wood and thus improve tuning stability.
Keyboard
The naturals are covered in boxwood, sharps in Macassar ebony; bone is
offered as an option for the Zell. The arcades are made of boxwood or
ebony where appropriate; the Trasuntino arcades are boxwood with parchment.
The levers of Italian keyboards are made of hardwood, such as beech or ash. This imparts great crispness to the action, as there is very little flex in the keys. Since the key levers of Northern instruments have to reach further back into the case, they are consequently longer and for reasons of stability a soft wood is a better choice for the purpose. I make the keyboards of the Zell instrument from bass wood.
click on image to enlarge
All of my instruments have wooden jacks produced in my shop. They are made of pearwood for the German instruments, walnut or beech for the Italians. The tongues are of holly, with delrin plectra. Bird quill is offered as an option.
String Wire
I use brass and iron wire by Malcolm Rose (Lewes, England). This wire
is drawn in small quantities according to historical formulations and
is, in my opinion, the best string wire available to harpsichord makers.
Tuning pins
Historical flat-headed tapered iron pins are standard. I drill holes in
them for ease of stringing. Square-headed zither pins are available on
customer's request.
Stop levers of yellow brass are produced in my shop following the practice of the antiques, but custom organ-type draw stops are available as an option.
Soft carrying cover from Cavallaro covers will be supplied upon request.
For further information, please go to Decorative Options.
R E P A I R S A N D R E N T A L S
I will undertake to repair the instruments of other makers. However, the work of producing new harpsichords and taking care of my existing ones must understandably be a priority. Inquiries are welcome.
I sometimes have an instrument available which can be rented out. Call for availability. The current rate is $200 per day, which includes tuning before the event. Weekly rates are also available. The cost of transportation is not included in the quoted price. I highly recommend using a professional mover even for the relatively light Italian instruments. When I rent out German instruments, professional moving services are a requirement
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