A visual approach to an authentic,

unaltered Andreas Ruckers double

transposing harpsichord

Pierre Verbeek
2013
www.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)

Sunday, 22 December 2013

 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

Sunday, 22 December 2013

 Schematic unaligned keyboards

Upper Pitch =
D E
C F c3 R
Keyb.

Pitch =
Lower D E R-4
Keyb. C F f3

Sunday, 22 December 2013

 Production of Ruckers workshops
16th-17th c. Antwerp (estimates)
Harpsichords Virginals Extant 2011
Lost or destroyed

4%

36%

64%

96%

Sunday, 22 December 2013

 Nearly 100 extant Ruckers
instruments
Extant harpsichords 1 keyboard
Extant transp. harpsichords 2 keyboards
Extant virginals & others

Transposing harpsichords in original condition

Transposing harpsichords altered & aligned
27
2

28

38 26

Sunday, 22 December 2013

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

Ioannes Ruckers 1599 HR Halle (Händel-Haus) Ravalé, present F1-f3

Ioannes Ruckers 1612 HR London Fenton House (prop. of HM Queen E.II)
Ioannes Ruckers 1612 HR
Ioannes Ruckers 1616 HR
Ioannes Ruckers 1612 IR
Ioannes Ruckers 1617 IR
Ioannes Ruckers 1618 IR
Ioannes Ruckers 1618 IR
Ioannes Ruckers 1619 IR
Ioannes Ruckers 1627 IR
Ioannes Ruckers 1627 IR
Ioannes Ruckers 1628 IR
Amiens, Musée d’histoire locale
Private coll. Paris
Musée des instr. du CNSM, Paris
Private coll. Los Angeles
Schloβ Cappenberg, Westphalia
Lund University Sweden
Musée des instr. de musique Brussels
Private coll. Villebon, France
Private coll. Paris
Versailles palace
English ravalement G1, A1-f3
Aligned 1730, G1, B1-d3
Aligned, G1-c3 chromatic
Grand ravalement, F1-f3
English ravalement G1, A1-f3
Aligned & extended G1, B1-d3
Much altered 1724 C-d3
Disastrous over-restoration G1, B1-c3
Aligned G1,B1-c3
Grand ravalement, F-f3 and G1-c3
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 condition

Ioannes Ruckers 1640 IR Private coll. Schloβ Ahaus, Westphalia Aligned G1, B1-d3
Ioannes Ruckers 1642 IR Private coll. New York Aligned & petit ravalement G1,B1-D3

Sunday, 22 December 2013

 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

Sunday, 22 December 2013

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

2. Andreas Ruckers, Antwerp 1640

Musée de Groesbeeck de Croix

Sunday, 22 December 2013

 Musée de
Groesbeeck-de
Croix - Namur -
Belgium
Museum of decorative arts

Sunday, 22 December 2013

Sunday, 22 December 2013
 Keyboard frames

Sunday, 22 December 2013

 Schematic unaligned keyboards

Upper Pitch =
D E
C F c3 R
Keyb.

Pitch =
Lower D E R-4
Keyb. C F f3

Sunday, 22 December 2013

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 Registers

Sunday, 22 December 2013

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Sunday, 22 December 2013
 Unaligned keyboards

Upper Pitch =
D E
C F c3 R
Keyb.

Pitch =
Lower D E R-4
Keyb. C F f3

Sunday, 22 December 2013

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 The problem of Eb and G# with
meatone temperament

Sunday, 22 December 2013

 Eb or G# ? Or both?

Upper Pitch =
D E
C F c3 R
Keyb.

Pitch =
Lower D E R-4
Keyb. C F f3

Sunday, 22 December 2013

 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

Sunday, 22 December 2013

Sunday, 22 December 2013
 Why transposing harpsichords?

✤ The question is still open

Sunday, 22 December 2013

 Conclusion

Sunday, 22 December 2013