A visual approach to an authentic, unaltered Andreas...

A visual approach to an authentic, unaltered Andreas Ruckers double transposing harpsichord

Pierre Verbeek2013www.clavichords.be

Sunday, 22 December 2013

Purposes of presentation

✤ What is a transposing harpsichord?

✤ Why transposing harpsichords?

✤ First publicly available detailed information about the Andreas Ruckers 1640 double (mainly visual)


What is a transposing harpsichord from Antwerp 17th c.?

✤ Strings disposition 1 x 4’, 1 x 8’

✤ Two manuals - unaligned keyboards

✤ Upper-manual compass: C/E to c³, 45 notes at a pitch of R

✤ Lower-manual compass: C/E to f³, 50 notes at a pitch of R - 4

✤ The manuals cannot be coupled

✤ Both manuals pluck the same set of strings


Schematic unaligned keyboards

C f3ED

F

c3ED

FCPitch =

R

Pitch =R - 4

UpperKeyb.

LowerKeyb.


Production of Ruckers workshops 16th-17th c. Antwerp (estimates)

36%

64%

Harpsichords Virginals

4%

96%

Extant 2011Lost or destroyed


Nearly 100 extant Ruckers instruments

27

28

38

Extant harpsichords 1 keyboardExtant transp. harpsichords 2 keyboardsExtant virginals & others

2

26

Transposing harpsichords in original conditionTransposing harpsichords altered & aligned


A complete list of extant Ruckers transposing harpsichords & their current state (1/2)

Ioannes Ruckers 1599 HR Halle (Händel-Haus) Ravalé, present F1-f3Ioannes Ruckers 1612 HR London Fenton House (prop. of HM Queen E.II) English ravalement G1, A1-f3Ioannes Ruckers 1612 HR Amiens, Musée d’histoire locale Aligned 1730, G1, B1-d3Ioannes Ruckers 1616 HR Private coll. Paris Aligned, G1-c3 chromaticIoannes Ruckers 1612 IR Musée des instr. du CNSM, Paris Grand ravalement, F1-f3Ioannes Ruckers 1617 IR Private coll. Los Angeles English ravalement G1, A1-f3Ioannes Ruckers 1618 IR Schloβ Cappenberg, Westphalia Aligned & extended G1, B1-d3Ioannes Ruckers 1618 IR Lund University Sweden Much altered 1724 C-d3Ioannes Ruckers 1619 IR Musée des instr. de musique Brussels Disastrous over-restoration G1, B1-c3Ioannes Ruckers 1627 IR Private coll. Villebon, France Aligned G1,B1-c3Ioannes Ruckers 1627 IR Private coll. Paris Grand ravalement, F-f3 and G1-c3Ioannes Ruckers 1628 IR Versailles palace Aligned & petit ravalement F-f3 and G1-c3

Ioannes Ruckers 1637 IR Museo Antich. Instr. Music. Rome Restored by J. Barnes 1969-70 in original state

Ioannes Ruckers 1638 IR Russell Coll. Edinburgh Original conditionIoannes Ruckers 1640 IR Private coll. Schloβ Ahaus, Westphalia Aligned G1, B1-d3Ioannes Ruckers 1642 IR Private coll. New York Aligned & petit ravalement G1,B1-D3


A complete list (2/2)

Andreas Ruckers 1608 AR Russell Coll. Edinburgh Aligned & altered C-d3

Andreas Ruckers 1614 AR Private coll. Dartington Hall, Devon English 18th c. ravalement A1-e3

Andreas Ruckers 1615 AR Vleeshuis Museum, Antwerp Aligned G1, B1-c3

Andreas Ruckers 1620 AR Berlin Musikinstrumentenmuseum Alignment & ravalement G1,B1-c3

Andreas Ruckers 1623 AR Private coll. Saint-Etienne, France Full-scale ravalement F-f3

Andreas Ruckers 1623 AR Private coll., England (?) English 18th c. ravalement F1,G1-f3

Andreas Ruckers 1624 AR Gruuthuuse Museum, Bruges Converted into single keyboard instr.

Andreas Ruckers 1628 AR Private coll. Hamburg Alignment & petit ravalement A1-c3

Andreas Ruckers 1633 AR Museum Univ. Leipzig Converted into single keyboard instr.

Andreas Ruckers 1640 AR Musée de Groesbeeck, Namur Original condition, w/o keyboards

Andreas Ruckers 1646 AR Musée des instr. du CNSM, Paris Aligned & petit ravalement F-f3 and G1-c3

Andreas Ruckers 1651 AR Victoria & Albert Museum, London English 18th c. ravalement G1,A1-f3


Unaltered transposing harpsichords1. Ioannes Ruckers, Antwerp 1638 Russell Collection, Catalogue No HD2-IR1638.6

2. Andreas Ruckers, Antwerp 1640Musée de Groesbeeck de Croix


Musée de Groesbeeck-de Croix - Namur - BelgiumMuseum of decorative arts


Keyboard frames


Schematic unaligned keyboards

C f3ED

F

c3ED

FCPitch =

R

Pitch =R - 4

UpperKeyb.

LowerKeyb.


Registers


Unaligned keyboards

C f3ED

F

c3ED

FCPitch =

R

Pitch =R - 4

UpperKeyb.

LowerKeyb.


The problem of Eb and G# with meatone temperament


Eb or G# ? Or both?

C f3ED

F

c3ED

FCPitch =

R

Pitch =R - 4

UpperKeyb.

LowerKeyb.


Solution to the Eb / G# problem

✤ Add a second string at another level, inserting brass plates

✤ Tune the string Eb at its meantone level for the “C keyboard”

✤ Tune the string G# at its meantone level for the “F keyboard”, i.e. approx. 4/10 of a semitone below (41 cents)...

✤ QED


Why transposing harpsichords?

✤ The question is still open


Conclusion


A visual approach to an authentic, unaltered Andreas...

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