Clavichord
1751 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
The clavichord sounds softer and more intimate than the harpsichord, and they were seldom decorated as lavishly as this example. Barthold Fritz of Brunswick (1697–1766) was a highly prolific and inventive builder, who is reputed to have produced over 500 clavichords in his lifetime, as well as constructing musical clocks and mechanical looms. Clavichords made in Germany after about 1740 tended to be larger and slightly louder than earlier versions.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Parts | This object consists of 2 parts.
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| Materials and techniques | Pine case, with spruce soundboard, brass tangents, rosewood naturals and pearwood sharps topped with ivory plaques; decorated with incised black ink; painted inside lid, case and inside flap |
| Dimensions |
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| Production type | Unique |
| Marks and inscriptions | Barthold Fritz fecit Braunschweig aô. 1751 Mens. febr (1) Signature; Latin; cursive; On the treble wrest-plank; Inscribed; Ink; Fritz, Barthold; 1751)
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| Gallery label | CLAVICHORD, German, by Barthold Fritz, 1751, inscribed Barthold Fritz, Brunswick, aô 1751 Mens. febr. Soundboard spruce, sides pine, naturals stained hardwood and sharps stained pearwood topped with ivory plaques. The inside of the lid is decorated with a hunting scene. The instrument's range is sixty-five notes, FF -a3.
Museum No.: 339-1882
Keyboard Catalogue No.: 26
The clavichord was particularly popular in Germany and Sweden, where large-scale instruments continued to be made well into the 1840s. Barthold Fritz (1697 - 1766) is said to have produced "more than 500" clavichords that were exported as far afield as Archangel, Russia. He was a highly versatile mechanic, constructing devices that ranged from musical clocks to mechanical looms. In 1755 he published a treatise on mechanically harmonizing keyboard instruments, which he dedicated to C.P.E.Bach.(pre September 2000) |
| Object history | This formed part of the collection of Carl Engel (1919 - 1882), a leading musicologist who published the Descriptive Catalogue of the Musical Instruments in the South Kensington Museum (London, 1874). Engel's collection was bought by the museum in 1882, nos. 150 to 350, for £555. 6s. 0d. RP 2315/1882 Bought for £15. |
| Subjects depicted | |
| Summary | The clavichord sounds softer and more intimate than the harpsichord, and they were seldom decorated as lavishly as this example. Barthold Fritz of Brunswick (1697–1766) was a highly prolific and inventive builder, who is reputed to have produced over 500 clavichords in his lifetime, as well as constructing musical clocks and mechanical looms. Clavichords made in Germany after about 1740 tended to be larger and slightly louder than earlier versions. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | 339-1882 |
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| Record created | May 16, 2001 |
| Record URL |
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