Instruments of Roman Sukac & Michael Scheer

UNUSUAL INSTRUMENTS

The South German clavicytherium, anonymous, about 1600

 

The "Germanisches Nationalmuseum" in Nuremberg accommodates an anonymous South German clavicytherium which shows astonishing close characteristics to the South German virginal harpsichord in Munich and the one at the Beuermann-collection in Hamburg. It testifies of such a genius craftsmanship that it's worth to rebuild this instrument as well as an exact or a modified copy - in case that there is a room with minimum 2.60 m height. This instrument from the late renaissance (about 1600) with compass C/E-c''' has a warm groundy sound which is soft and fluty in the discant and contrasts marvellous with the regal-likely nazard. This instrument differs extremly (not only hearable) in character, touch and construction from usual harpsichords. Corresponding to the time the influence to the Italian building style in South Germany can be recognized. The walls and the board have a thickness of approx. 8 mm, the soundboard is approx. 3 - 4 mm. The string scaling and the variety of sound colours shows the typical South German style and this is common for earlier mentioned instruments. This is not available by different tuned strings but by plucking the strings at different points. So the changing spektrum of partials changes the sound colour. Unfortunately still it is not possible to give more exact local or personal references of the builder or user for these instruments.

The modification to the one manual original is the change of the bass wall segments into a "douple swing" with the bend wall and the additioning of the second manual with a ravalement. Decisive for these modifications were the better using and confrontation of the register sound colours during playing, as well as the using of such an expense instrument up to the high baroque music.

Disposition:

	rebuilding: 1 manual	rebuilding: 2 manuals
registers:	< virginal 8'+ buff stop	< virginal 8'
	< principal 8'	< dolce 8'
	> octav 4'	> principal 8' + buff stop
	< nasard 8'+ buff stop	> principal 8' + buff stop
compass:	HH - d'''	GG/AA - d'''
pitch:	415 / 440 / 465 Hz	392 / 415 / 440 Hz, couple + oder dog leg

The two manual harpsichord according to Benoist Stehlin, Paris 1760, with appended organ pedal

 

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 finished 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 "MusŽeé Antoine LŽécuveré. 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.

There were a few pedal harpsichords in the 18th century which consisted of a two manual étopé with disposition: lower manual 8«<, 4«<, upper manul 8«>, lute, pull coupler and a ãlower partÒ - the pedal - with disposition: 16«, 8«, 4«.

In the 17th century there were especially in Italy some polygonals and harpsichord which had an appended pedal. I.e. the keys of bass of the manual were fixed through a cord with the pedal so that the bass tones could be hold with the feets and the fingers were free the middle and the discant.

The advantage of étop + lower part harpsichordé is its full sound with the 16’. The disadvantage is that additionally to the three registers of the étopé also the three registers of the élower parté have to be tuned. In climatic critical rooms, dependent on the season, this can be a considerable tune and regulation work. If it's only about e.g. for an organist to realize the possibility of pedal practise, the "earlier" variation of the appended pedal is more advantageous. Only the harpsichord has to be tuned and regulated and so there is more time for the musical work.

The two manual harpsichord according to Benoist Stehlin (1760) with appended organ pedal has the following dispositions for the manuals:

under manual	8'<, 4' <
upper manual	8'> , buff stop,
pull couple
pedal	8´< , couple to under manual.
compass:	FF-f3

The virginal harpsichord according to an anonymous instrument (A R), anonymous, approx. 1600

 

There is a South German virginal harpsichord in the depot of the Bavarian National Museum which testifies of such a genius craftsmanship that it's worth to rebuild this instrument as well as an exact or a modified copy. The anonymous South German virginal harpsichord, probably built at the end of the renaissance (about 1600), has a warm groundy sound. This instrument differs extremly (not only hearable) in character, touch and construction from usual harpsichords. On the virginal harpsichord both bridges (wrestplank bridge and soundboard bridge) are situated on an active soundboard. That's why there are other acustic results as at the "common" harpsichords. Corresponding to this early time the influence of the Italian style of harpsichord building can be recognized. The walls and the board are between 3 and 8 mm thickness. What it makes typical for South German instruments is the variety of sound colours. These are not made by different tuned strings for the registers but through plucking the 8" strings at different points. So because the partial spektrum of the different tones is changing the sound coulour.

The modification to the one manual original is the additional second manual and the ravalement. Decisive for this modification was the better using of the eight registers from 3x 8": regal, nazard, principal, dolce, virginal, virginal-buff stop, principal-buff stop, mandola and the use of such an expense instrument for more than the renaissance and the early baroque period.

Disposition:

rebuilding:	1 manual	2 manuals, couple
registers:	< virginal 8´ + buff stop	< virginal 8´ + buff stop
	< dolce 8´	< dolce 8´
	> principal 8´ + buff stop	> principal 8´ + buff stop
	< nasard 8´	< nasard 8´
	> regal 8´ + buff stop	< regal 8´
compass:	C/E - c3 (HH - d''')	FF - g'''
pitch:	415 / 440 / 465 Hz	392 / 415 / 440 Hz

The Dinamico, a harpsichord on behalf of Medicci to Bartolomeo Christofori, Jestetten 1986

 

The Dinamico, orgininal it should be called "Cembalo col piano e forte", is a new music instrument which has developped from the old harpsichord. The essential is its dynamic expression. Also Arno von Zwolle had some ideas to this in the 16th century.

The Dinamico tries to show a new world of sound: from the very lovely piano to the impressing forte. It associates the advantages of the piano with those of the harpsichord - dynamic and the variety of sound colours. It always has been a dream to give the expression of the clavichord to the harpsichord: more than 300 years ago the harpsichord maker Bartolomeo Christofori invented the hammer mechanic and so the piano. Originally he looked for a possibility to raise the harpsichord's dynamic. The setted goal has not been reached with the harpsichord, it's unchanged until today. But he invented a new mechanic: the hammer mechanic of the pianoforte.

We tried to continue where Christofori stopped - the dynamic arrangement of each tone of the harpsichord. The most important thing of the new developement, which is already applied for patent, is a little piece of brass which is held by a spring on the top of the jack. Through its mass inertia it takes care of the volume control of the tongue with the plectrum. 

The one manual instrument from our workshop is from black stained ash with 2x 8’ (switchable with 2 pedals); the bridges are from walnut, the lid from Swiss spruce from high mountains and the keyboard is covered with turquoise marble from Luka and ebony. The compass is CC-C’’’, corresponding to the Broadwood pianos which was given to Beethoven in 1816 as present.