Instruments of Roman Sukac & Michael Scheer

TWO MANUAL HARPSICHORDS

The two manual Italian harpsichord according to Antonius de Migliais, Florentinus about 1680, Firenze 1680 (cembalo da theatro)

 

One of the few two manual Italian harpsichords with wide decorated case is placed in the "Germanisches Nationalmuseum" in Nuremberg with no. MIR 1078. It's signed with "Dominicus da Pesaro", but it has been identified from R. D. Wraight as an instrument from Antonio Migliai, Florenz, which must have been built before 1682. The compass is C/E-c''', the disposition is 4’ on the upper manual and 2x 8’ on the lower manual. The first 8’ is a "dog leg" to the upper manual. The scaling of the 8’(c''' = 303 mm) points to an instrument tuned with florentin pitch (a' = 415 Hz) and strung with soft iron; the scaling of the 4’ points at a brass register. The rebuilding has been extended to the full octave and provided with the transposing possibilities 415/440/465 Hz. The 2x 8’ have got iron strings and instead of the 4’ there is an additional 8’ register which has a more nazard sound because the plucking is closer to the bridge of the wrestplank.

The two manual harpsichord according to Benoist Stehlin, Paris 1760

 

Not many live datas are given from Benoist Stehlin, also called Stelle or Stella in France. His father Georg Stehlin emigrated probably from Swiss territory - where the name is very common - to Oltingen (between Basel and Belfort), Upper Alsace. Before 1732 Benoist was born Jettingen (Upper Alsace). He passed his youth in his native country which’s cultural background was characterized by the Allemannian inventro mentality and the French men-of-world habit. In this cultural climate which was formed through the famous Andreas Silbermann and his son Johann Heinrich Silbermann from Strasbourg, he learned the craftsmenship of organ building. After he finishd his training he moved to Paris. There he settled down as harpsichord and organ builder; in 1753 he married. In Paris he lived and worked as very famous harpichord builder. He died on 11.07.1774 in Paris. 

Two of his harpsichords were kept until now. One of them from 1750 is placed in St. Quentin, France, in the "MusŽe Antoine LŽcuver". It belonged to Bernard Jumentier (1749-1829), he was composer and Ma”tre de Chapelle in the cathedrale of St. Quentin. In 1913 this harpsichord has been restored the first time. The second harpsichord, built in 1760, came from Florida to the collection of the Smithsonian Institution in Washington. Both instruments, signed from Stehlin, have specific case and scaling charaters which emphasize them as extremly warm instruments. This warm and cantable sound was decisive to rebuild not a Taskin or Blanchet instrument, but to choose a Stehlin harpsichord from 1760 as model.

disposition:

lower manual 8'< , 4' <

upper manual 8'> , buff stop

pull couple

compass FF-f'''

pitch 392/415/440 Hz