Goermans
Encyclopedia
The Goermans family were French
harpsichord
makers of Flemish
origin.
Jean Germain I (or Joannes Goermans, as he signed his instruments) (1703 - 18 February 1777) was born in Geldern
, the Netherlands, and is known to have been working as a harpsichord maker in Paris
by 1730, where he remained for the rest of his life. He had seven children: his daughter Jeanne-Thérèse was a harp
ist and friend of Jean-Philippe Rameau
's patron La Pouplinière. He retired in 1773 after starting to suffer from paralysis
. At his death he was very rich, owning property worth 195,000 livres. His workshop was taken over by his son-in-law
Jean Liborius Hermès.
Jean Germain II (1735 - c.1795) was the son of the above, and became known as a dealer of harpsichords and harp
s as well as a harpsichord teacher. He lived in Paris. He dealt mainly in Flemish ravalements of Ruckers
instruments, popular in France at the time; the adaptations to the original harpsichords included knee levers for changing stops, and an enlarged range. In 1778 he advertised a Ruckers ravalement which went as far as 'producing the effect of the Flute
, Oboe
and Vox humana
'.
Jean Germain (born 11 September 1947 in Tours
) is a French
politician
, mayor
of Tours
since 1995, and president of the agglomeration community of Tours, Tour(s) Plus. He is a member of the French Socialist Party.
Jacques Germain (variants: Jacob Germain, Jacobus Goermans, Jacques Goermans) (c.1740 - 8 April 1789) was the son of the first Jean Germain and followed him into the craft of harpsichord-making, living his life in Paris. He established a workshop in his father's house, becoming a master
maker in 1766. He started made fortepiano
s as public taste started to favour them, and was an important early French maker of the instrument. After his death, Hermès took over the business as he had done with his father's. The production of pianos and harps continued until Hermès's death in 1813.
Surviving Goermans harpsichords are in the French style; one of the most notable is the Goermans/Taskin
in the Russell Collection, Edinburgh
, which has been very highly praised for its excellent sound and used by leading modern harpsichordists such as Trevor Pinnock
for recordings of the French baroque
repertoire. A notable oddity produced by Jacques Goermans in 1782 was a harpsichord with 21 keys
to the octave
using a tuning system
suggested by Jean-Benjamin de la Borde.
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
harpsichord
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...
makers of Flemish
Flanders
Flanders is the community of the Flemings but also one of the institutions in Belgium, and a geographical region located in parts of present-day Belgium, France and the Netherlands. "Flanders" can also refer to the northern part of Belgium that contains Brussels, Bruges, Ghent and Antwerp...
origin.
Jean Germain I (or Joannes Goermans, as he signed his instruments) (1703 - 18 February 1777) was born in Geldern
Geldern
Geldern ) is a city in the northwest of the federal state North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is part of the district of Cleves, which is part of the Düsseldorfadministrative region.-Location:...
, the Netherlands, and is known to have been working as a harpsichord maker in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
by 1730, where he remained for the rest of his life. He had seven children: his daughter Jeanne-Thérèse was a harp
Harp
The harp is a multi-stringed instrument which has the plane of its strings positioned perpendicularly to the soundboard. Organologically, it is in the general category of chordophones and has its own sub category . All harps have a neck, resonator and strings...
ist and friend of Jean-Philippe Rameau
Jean-Philippe Rameau
Jean-Philippe Rameau was one of the most important French composers and music theorists of the Baroque era. He replaced Jean-Baptiste Lully as the dominant composer of French opera and is also considered the leading French composer for the harpsichord of his time, alongside François...
's patron La Pouplinière. He retired in 1773 after starting to suffer from paralysis
Paralysis
Paralysis is loss of muscle function for one or more muscles. Paralysis can be accompanied by a loss of feeling in the affected area if there is sensory damage as well as motor. A study conducted by the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation, suggests that about 1 in 50 people have been diagnosed...
. At his death he was very rich, owning property worth 195,000 livres. His workshop was taken over by his son-in-law
Son-in-Law
Son-in-Law was a British Thoroughbred racehorse and an influential sire, especially for sport horses.The National Horseracing Museum says that Son-in-Law is "probably the best and most distinguished stayer this country has ever known." Described as "one of the principal influences for stamina in...
Jean Liborius Hermès.
Jean Germain II (1735 - c.1795) was the son of the above, and became known as a dealer of harpsichords and harp
Harp
The harp is a multi-stringed instrument which has the plane of its strings positioned perpendicularly to the soundboard. Organologically, it is in the general category of chordophones and has its own sub category . All harps have a neck, resonator and strings...
s as well as a harpsichord teacher. He lived in Paris. He dealt mainly in Flemish ravalements of Ruckers
Ruckers
The Ruckers family were Flemish harpsichord and virginal makers based in Antwerp in the 16th and 17th century whose influence stretched well into the 18th and to the harpsichord revival of the 20th.The Ruckers family contributed immeasurably to the harpsichord's technical development,...
instruments, popular in France at the time; the adaptations to the original harpsichords included knee levers for changing stops, and an enlarged range. In 1778 he advertised a Ruckers ravalement which went as far as 'producing the effect of the Flute
Flute
The flute is a musical instrument of the woodwind family. Unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is an aerophone or reedless wind instrument that produces its sound from the flow of air across an opening...
, Oboe
Oboe
The oboe is a double reed musical instrument of the woodwind family. In English, prior to 1770, the instrument was called "hautbois" , "hoboy", or "French hoboy". The spelling "oboe" was adopted into English ca...
and Vox humana
Vox humana
The Vox Humana is a short-resonator reed stop on the pipe organ, so named because of its supposed resemblance to the human voice. As a rule, the stop is used with a tremulant, which undulates the wind supply, causing a vibrato effect...
'.
Jean Germain (born 11 September 1947 in Tours
Tours
Tours is a city in central France, the capital of the Indre-et-Loire department.It is located on the lower reaches of the river Loire, between Orléans and the Atlantic coast. Touraine, the region around Tours, is known for its wines, the alleged perfection of its local spoken French, and for the...
) is a French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
politician
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
, mayor
Mayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
of Tours
Tours
Tours is a city in central France, the capital of the Indre-et-Loire department.It is located on the lower reaches of the river Loire, between Orléans and the Atlantic coast. Touraine, the region around Tours, is known for its wines, the alleged perfection of its local spoken French, and for the...
since 1995, and president of the agglomeration community of Tours, Tour(s) Plus. He is a member of the French Socialist Party.
Jacques Germain (variants: Jacob Germain, Jacobus Goermans, Jacques Goermans) (c.1740 - 8 April 1789) was the son of the first Jean Germain and followed him into the craft of harpsichord-making, living his life in Paris. He established a workshop in his father's house, becoming a master
Master craftsman
A master craftsman or master tradesman was a member of a guild. In the European guild system, only masters were allowed to be members of the guild....
maker in 1766. He started made fortepiano
Fortepiano
Fortepiano designates the early version of the piano, from its invention by the Italian instrument maker Bartolomeo Cristofori around 1700 up to the early 19th century. It was the instrument for which Haydn, Mozart, and the early Beethoven wrote their piano music...
s as public taste started to favour them, and was an important early French maker of the instrument. After his death, Hermès took over the business as he had done with his father's. The production of pianos and harps continued until Hermès's death in 1813.
Surviving Goermans harpsichords are in the French style; one of the most notable is the Goermans/Taskin
Pascal Taskin
----Pascal Joseph Taskin was a French harpsichord and piano maker. Born in Theux, near Liège, he lived most of his life in Paris.- Biography :...
in the Russell Collection, Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
, which has been very highly praised for its excellent sound and used by leading modern harpsichordists such as Trevor Pinnock
Trevor Pinnock
Trevor David Pinnock CBE is an English conductor, harpsichordist, and occasional organist and pianist.He is best known for his association with the period-performance orchestra The English Concert which he helped found and directed from the keyboard for over 30 years in baroque and early classical...
for recordings of the French baroque
Baroque music
Baroque music describes a style of Western Classical music approximately extending from 1600 to 1760. This era follows the Renaissance and was followed in turn by the Classical era...
repertoire. A notable oddity produced by Jacques Goermans in 1782 was a harpsichord with 21 keys
Musical keyboard
A musical keyboard is the set of adjacent depressible levers or keys on a musical instrument, particularly the piano. Keyboards typically contain keys for playing the twelve notes of the Western musical scale, with a combination of larger, longer keys and smaller, shorter keys that repeats at the...
to the octave
Octave
In music, an octave is the interval between one musical pitch and another with half or double its frequency. The octave relationship is a natural phenomenon that has been referred to as the "basic miracle of music", the use of which is "common in most musical systems"...
using a tuning system
Musical temperament
In musical tuning, a temperament is a system of tuning which slightly compromises the pure intervals of just intonation in order to meet other requirements of the system. Most instruments in modern Western music are tuned in the equal temperament system...
suggested by Jean-Benjamin de la Borde.
Sources
- Sheridan Germann: 'Goermans [Germain]', Grove Music Online ed. L. Macy (Accessed 2007-05-20), http://www.grovemusic.com/
External links
- Harpsichord by Jean Goermans/Pascal Taskin, Paris, 1763/1783-1784 - in the Russell Collection