Folding Harpsichord
A rare form of a small harpsichord, the folding harpsichord was made to sit on a table. It has a removable keyboard as well as a soundboard in three hinged sections that fold up. The instrument has a limited range of three and a half octaves a few octaves and a quiet sound, which would have been well suited for private music making.
Technical description: Composed of one rectangular and two trapezoidal sections hinged together so that the sections fold into a rectangular box shape for travel, case of light brown wood (stained poplar?); compass C/e-c4, rosewood naturals with ivory arcades, accidentals veneered on the sides with rosewood and plated with ivory, two-rail keyframe, keys guided by pins between the rear ends of the levers, keyboard must be withdrawn to fold the instrument; jacks and tongues of pear, quill plectra, brass leaf springs, small lead weights, the jacks for the lower springs, small lead weights, the jacks for the lower 2/3 of the compass slotted for a single damper, box register is made by gluing blocks between two thin battens. (Douglas Maple 1983)
Technical description: Composed of one rectangular and two trapezoidal sections hinged together so that the sections fold into a rectangular box shape for travel, case of light brown wood (stained poplar?); compass C/e-c4, rosewood naturals with ivory arcades, accidentals veneered on the sides with rosewood and plated with ivory, two-rail keyframe, keys guided by pins between the rear ends of the levers, keyboard must be withdrawn to fold the instrument; jacks and tongues of pear, quill plectra, brass leaf springs, small lead weights, the jacks for the lower springs, small lead weights, the jacks for the lower 2/3 of the compass slotted for a single damper, box register is made by gluing blocks between two thin battens. (Douglas Maple 1983)
Artwork Details
- Title: Folding Harpsichord
- Maker: Christian Nonnemacker (German, active Genoa ca. 1757)
- Date: 1757
- Geography: Genoa?, Italy
- Culture: Italian
- Medium: Wood, various materials
- Dimensions: L. 77.3 cm; W. 61.5 cm; D. 7.1 cm ; 3-octave span 48.0 cm;
Sound lengths (longer choir, plucking point)
c/e 61.4 (9.2)
c2 25.6 (6.4)
c4 6.0 (2.5) - Classification: Chordophone-Zither-plucked-harpsichord
- Credit Line: The Crosby Brown Collection of Musical Instruments, 1889
- Object Number: 89.4.3509
- Curatorial Department: Musical Instruments
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Christian Nonnemacker
18th century
German
ca. 1600
Italian
1540
Multiple artists/makers
ca. 1670
Italian
late 17th century
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