The unfretted clavichord

Bundfreies Clavichord, Haydn-Haus Wien

Unfretted clavichord, Ferdinand Hoffmann, Vienna c1785-95;
Vienna, Haydn-Museum (formerly possessed by Johannes Brahms)

A rather late instrument typical for the rather big-sized clavichord of its age. I growing competition to the square piano the clavichord was in higher esteem even after 1800 by those musicians who preferred the direct touch of the clavichord.

 

music sample:
excerpt from Joseph Haydn, Moderato c-moll Hob. XVI:20 (Fragment)
played by Christine von Schornsheim
Instrument: Burkhard Zander, copy of an unfretted clavichord by J.G. Horn 1788

The "unfretted" clavichord possesses sepatate choirs of strings for each key/note, as opposed to choirs of strings giving different notes according to where the tangents strikes on a "fretted" clavichord. This type if clavichord flourished during the 18th century, it is the preeeminent domestic keyboard at least in central and northern Europe and an indispensable tool for all professional musicians; most composers of that period like Bach, Haydn or Mozart used a clavichord as a means of composing music.

The instrument here is a typical example: built by Ferdinand Hofmann in Vienna between 1785 and 1795 probably was the property of Johann Elßler, Haydn's servant and copyist, and allegedly of Joseph Haydn himself; later it was acquired by  Johannes Brahms. It is a comparatively late instrument, but occasionally clavichords were built and used even after 1800

In mid 18th century some German instrument makers tried to enrich the volume of the clavichord, predominantly by enlarging the instrument itself. The Hass family of Hamburg tried to add  4' strings in the bass, and Friderici in
Gera experimented with wound strings; Gottfried Silbermann prduced instruments with double string lenghts whicfh were struck exactly in the middle to make both halves vibrate. He called this his instrumen misleadingly „Clavecin d’amour“. With all these changes clavichord couöfdd be of limited usability for chamber music in combination with other soft instruments like a flute or muted violin and could compete in volume with contemporary square pianos or small harpsichords, But this reached a limit which allowed no further increase in volume when pianos became more voluminous in the decades around 1800 and took over the place of standard domestic keyboard.

 
 
 

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