Harpsichord

Besides Italy and France, Flanders - home of the harpsichords of Daniel Dulcken (1706-1757) - is considered a third such centre. Dulcken settled in Antwerp in 1738 and according to his contemporaries soon became the most important harpsichord maker after Ruckers. His instrument has two manuals, which allows for rapid changes of dynamics when each is set to a different register. The instrument is equipped with four registers, one of which is a four-foot register, which sounds an octave above written pitch. Due to the different plucking points of the three eight-foot registers, each has a different timbre. The casing of such harpsichords was usually plain and monochrome. Inside of the lid there is a painting, and it is likely that the artist composed its sujets (palace, waters, royal carrage, huntig scene) from different illustrations. (rh/bd)

Lit.:Rudolf Hopfner: Masterpieces from the Collection of Historic Musical Instruments. A Short Guide through the Kunsthistorisches Museum Vienna, Vol. 1, Vienna 2019.Victor Luithlen: Kunsthistorisches Museum. Katalog der Sammlung alter Musikinstrumente. Teil 1. Saitenklaviere, Wien 1966.