Folding harpsichord
Encyclopedia
The folding harpsichord was a kind of harpsichord
meant for travel. Since it could be folded up into a fairly compact space, it was more easily transported than a conventional harpsichord. The folding took place on hinges and was in the longitudinal dimension, preserving the tension on the strings. The folded instrument formed a package about the size of a large suitcase.
It is sometimes called by its French equivalent, clavecin brisé, which means "broken harpsichord."
for it. However, Laurence Libin found tentative evidence that the original inventor was a builder named Giuseppe Mondini, a cleric from Imola
, Italy who worked in the 17th century.
Marius's claim to be the original inventor was disputed at the time he made it by the Paris guild
of instrument makers, to which he did not belong. Marius succeeded in fending off the guild's legal challenge and "registered his letters patent from the king in the parliament of Paris (on 30 Sept 1702)." (Cohen 2009b).
Among the early owners of a folding harpsichord were the Medici
family of Florence. An inventory of the Medici instruments made by Bartolomeo Cristofori
in 1716 records the presence of one in the collection; Libin judges that it was probably made by Marius. The instrument was likely the purchase of Grand Prince Ferdinando, an avid collector of musical instruments under whose auspices Cristofori invented the piano.
Frederick the Great
of Prussia, a devotee of both war and music, took a folding harpsichord with him on his campaigns. The instrument belonged to his grandmother, Queen Sophia Charlotte. As Kottick observes "it is fairly complex for a traveling instrument"; there are three choirs of strings (disposition
2 x 8', 1 x 4'). The range is GG/BB to c3, with a short octave
in the bass. Kottick also notes: "It even includes a device to give the tuning note. The atypical soundboard
painting consists of not only flowers and insects, but also wrought-iron
patterns and figures from the commedia dell'arte
, one of whom is doing something naughty to another."
A folding harpsichord may have been owned by Prince Leopold of Anhalt-Cöthen during the time he employed Johann Sebastian Bach
as his Kapellmeister
. The prince took Bach and his musicians with him when he traveled. A record from the Cöthen court shows a payment to Bach (March 1723) for requilling the plectra
of "das Reise Clavesin" ("the traveling harpsichord").
The famous castrato
Farinelli
(Carlo Broschi) owned two folding harpsichords, mentioned in his will from 1782.
In modern times, portability continues to be an issue for harpsichordists, and the Italian builder Augusto Bonza has produced new instruments modeled after an original built ca. 1700 by Carlo Grimaldi (see below). Bonza's full-size folding harpsichord weighs about 10 kilograms (22 pounds) and fits within a space of 110 by 23.5 cm.
Harpsichord
A harpsichord is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It produces sound by plucking a string when a key is pressed.In the narrow sense, "harpsichord" designates only the large wing-shaped instruments in which the strings are perpendicular to the keyboard...
meant for travel. Since it could be folded up into a fairly compact space, it was more easily transported than a conventional harpsichord. The folding took place on hinges and was in the longitudinal dimension, preserving the tension on the strings. The folded instrument formed a package about the size of a large suitcase.
It is sometimes called by its French equivalent, clavecin brisé, which means "broken harpsichord."
Method of folding
As can be seen in the first illustration, the folding harpsichord is built in three separate sections. The folding scheme relies on the fact that the two smaller sections each terminate with a sharply angled segment at the end away from the player. A hinge is placed connecting the far apex of the smallest section to its neighbor. When the smallest section is fully rotated counterclockwise on this hinge, its angled segment abuts that of its neighbor (the join can be seen on in the detail figure below). At this point, the two smaller sections form a single rectangle, similar in size to the longest section. This larger rectangle is then folded vertically on additional hinges (visible) so that it is aligned with the longest section. Once the keyboards are slid inward like drawers and the end covers are folded shut, the instrument is in its compact and portable form.History
It is not certain who invented the folding harpsichord. In 1700, the French harpsichord maker Jean Marius presented his instrument to the Académie des Sciences, and was granted a 20 year patentPatent
A patent is a form of intellectual property. It consists of a set of exclusive rights granted by a sovereign state to an inventor or their assignee for a limited period of time in exchange for the public disclosure of an invention....
for it. However, Laurence Libin found tentative evidence that the original inventor was a builder named Giuseppe Mondini, a cleric from Imola
Imola
thumb|250px|The Cathedral of Imola.Imola is a town and comune in the province of Bologna, located on the Santerno river, in the Emilia-Romagna region of north-central Italy...
, Italy who worked in the 17th century.
Marius's claim to be the original inventor was disputed at the time he made it by the Paris guild
Guild
A guild is an association of craftsmen in a particular trade. The earliest types of guild were formed as confraternities of workers. They were organized in a manner something between a trade union, a cartel, and a secret society...
of instrument makers, to which he did not belong. Marius succeeded in fending off the guild's legal challenge and "registered his letters patent from the king in the parliament of Paris (on 30 Sept 1702)." (Cohen 2009b).
Among the early owners of a folding harpsichord were the Medici
Medici
The House of Medici or Famiglia de' Medici was a political dynasty, banking family and later royal house that first began to gather prominence under Cosimo de' Medici in the Republic of Florence during the late 14th century. The family originated in the Mugello region of the Tuscan countryside,...
family of Florence. An inventory of the Medici instruments made by Bartolomeo Cristofori
Bartolomeo Cristofori
Bartolomeo Cristofori di Francesco was an Italian maker of musical instruments, generally regarded as the inventor of the piano.-Life:...
in 1716 records the presence of one in the collection; Libin judges that it was probably made by Marius. The instrument was likely the purchase of Grand Prince Ferdinando, an avid collector of musical instruments under whose auspices Cristofori invented the piano.
Frederick the Great
Frederick II of Prussia
Frederick II was a King in Prussia and a King of Prussia from the Hohenzollern dynasty. In his role as a prince-elector of the Holy Roman Empire, he was also Elector of Brandenburg. He was in personal union the sovereign prince of the Principality of Neuchâtel...
of Prussia, a devotee of both war and music, took a folding harpsichord with him on his campaigns. The instrument belonged to his grandmother, Queen Sophia Charlotte. As Kottick observes "it is fairly complex for a traveling instrument"; there are three choirs of strings (disposition
Disposition (harpsichord)
The disposition of a harpsichord is the set of choirs of strings it contains. This article describes various dispositions and gives the standard notation for describing them....
2 x 8', 1 x 4'). The range is GG/BB to c3, with a short octave
Short octave
The short octave was a method of assigning notes to keys in early keyboard instruments , for the purpose of giving the instrument an extended range in the bass...
in the bass. Kottick also notes: "It even includes a device to give the tuning note. The atypical soundboard
Soundboard
Soundboard or sound board may refer to:*Sound board , a part of a musical instrument*Sounding board, an attachment to a pulpit to assist a human speaker*Alternate name of a mixing console, used to combine electronic audio signals...
painting consists of not only flowers and insects, but also wrought-iron
Wrought iron
thumb|The [[Eiffel tower]] is constructed from [[puddle iron]], a form of wrought ironWrought iron is an iron alloy with a very low carbon...
patterns and figures from the commedia dell'arte
Commedia dell'arte
Commedia dell'arte is a form of theatre characterized by masked "types" which began in Italy in the 16th century, and was responsible for the advent of the actress and improvised performances based on sketches or scenarios. The closest translation of the name is "comedy of craft"; it is shortened...
, one of whom is doing something naughty to another."
A folding harpsichord may have been owned by Prince Leopold of Anhalt-Cöthen during the time he employed Johann Sebastian Bach
Johann Sebastian Bach
Johann Sebastian Bach was a German composer, organist, harpsichordist, violist, and violinist whose sacred and secular works for choir, orchestra, and solo instruments drew together the strands of the Baroque period and brought it to its ultimate maturity...
as his Kapellmeister
Kapellmeister
Kapellmeister is a German word designating a person in charge of music-making. The word is a compound, consisting of the roots Kapelle and Meister . The words Kapelle and Meister derive from the Latin: capella and magister...
. The prince took Bach and his musicians with him when he traveled. A record from the Cöthen court shows a payment to Bach (March 1723) for requilling the plectra
Plectrum
A plectrum is a small flat tool used to pluck or strum a stringed instrument. For hand-held instruments such as guitars and mandolins, the plectrum is often called a pick, and is a separate tool held in the player's hand...
of "das Reise Clavesin" ("the traveling harpsichord").
The famous castrato
Castrato
A castrato is a man with a singing voice equivalent to that of a soprano, mezzo-soprano, or contralto voice produced either by castration of the singer before puberty or one who, because of an endocrinological condition, never reaches sexual maturity.Castration before puberty prevents a boy's...
Farinelli
Farinelli
Farinelli , was the stage name of Carlo Maria Broschi, celebrated Italian castrato singer of the 18th century and one of the greatest singers in the history of opera.- Early years :...
(Carlo Broschi) owned two folding harpsichords, mentioned in his will from 1782.
In modern times, portability continues to be an issue for harpsichordists, and the Italian builder Augusto Bonza has produced new instruments modeled after an original built ca. 1700 by Carlo Grimaldi (see below). Bonza's full-size folding harpsichord weighs about 10 kilograms (22 pounds) and fits within a space of 110 by 23.5 cm.
Surviving historical folding harpsichords
- Five of Marius's folding harpsichords survive. Two, both from 1700, are in the Musée de la Musique in Paris, and are shown in the photograph above. One (1709) is in the Musée Instrumental in Brussels, and one is in the Musikinstrumenten-MuseumMuseum of Musical Instruments of the University of LeipzigThe Museum of Musical Instruments of the University of Leipzig is a museum in Leipzig, Germany. It is located on Johannisplatz, near the city centre...
in LeipzigLeipzigLeipzig Leipzig has always been a trade city, situated during the time of the Holy Roman Empire at the intersection of the Via Regia and Via Imperii, two important trade routes. At one time, Leipzig was one of the major European centres of learning and culture in fields such as music and publishing...
. The fifth, King Frederick's instrument, is kept in the Staatliches Institut für Musikforschung in Berlin. According to Cohen, Marius's instruments "had jacks of metal and strings spun of gold and silver, and could be equipped with a pedal to regulate dynamics." - A folding harpsichord from the early 18th century by the Italian builder Carlo Grimaldi is kept in the Museo Nazionale degli Strumenti Musicale in Rome.
- The Gemeentemuseum in The HagueThe HagueThe Hague is the capital city of the province of South Holland in the Netherlands. With a population of 500,000 inhabitants , it is the third largest city of the Netherlands, after Amsterdam and Rotterdam...
has a folding harpsichord from 1768, constructed by the organ builder Rijk van Arkel, who worked in GoudaGoudaGouda is a city and municipality in the western Netherlands, in the province of South Holland. Gouda, which was granted city rights in 1272, is famous for its Gouda cheese, smoking pipes, and 15th-century city hall....
. - The Metropolitan Museum of ArtMetropolitan Museum of ArtThe Metropolitan Museum of Art is a renowned art museum in New York City. Its permanent collection contains more than two million works, divided into nineteen curatorial departments. The main building, located on the eastern edge of Central Park along Manhattan's Museum Mile, is one of the...
in New York owns two folding harpsichords. One was built in 1757 by Christianus Nonnemacker, who worked probably in GenoaGenoaGenoa |Ligurian]] Zena ; Latin and, archaically, English Genua) is a city and an important seaport in northern Italy, the capital of the Province of Genoa and of the region of Liguria....
. The other is an anonymous instrument fairly similar to Nonnemacker's.
Assessment
According to Libin, "documentary evidence and surviving examples confirm that folding harpsichords were esteemed outside France as well as within." However, folding harpsichords have not always been positively assessed by modern scholars. Kottick and Lucktenberg judge that "their utility was no doubt balanced by their somewhat dubious musical worth." Good calls them "convenient for traveling but for little else." Libin's own verdict is less harsh; they "sacrifice loudness for convenience of transport".External links
- Information about Frederick the Great's folding harpsichord with sound sample from Staatliches Institut für Musikforschung in Berlin