NEUPERT harpsichord Hass

Audio Sample:

Recent musicological research has shown that Johann Sebastian Bach explicitly required in fact a harpsichord with 16'-register for chamber music, including a pedal harpsichord below it with two 16'-registers. For his weekly concerts at the "Zimmermannschen Kaffeehaus" he had a double manual harpsichord and a pedal harpsichord at his disposal, both made by Zacharias Hildebrand.
In order to do justice to the consequences for performance practice, NEUPERT developed a new 16'-harpsichord within the historical tradition. As a prototype NEUPERT chose a double manual harpsichord of J. S. Bach's famous contemporary Hieronymus Albrecht Hass (Hamburg 1734). This instrument today belongs to the collection of the Brussels museum.

Without straying from the original conception, NEUPERT adapted the prototype to the requirement of the today's performance practice. The compass of the keyboard was extended to five octaves (F₁-f³) and a further coupler allows one to play the 4'-register on the lower as well as on the upper keyboard. In addition this also permits the upper manual to offer a contrast to the full disposition of the lower keyboard, to play an "echo", using only the 8₂'-register.

A transposing device renders a quick change posssible between the pitches a¹= 415 Hz and a¹ = 440 Hz.

Technical details:

• keyboard compass: F₁ - f³ (5 octaves)
• naturals ebony, sharps covered by bone
• lower manual: 8₁‘, 4‘, 16‘, lute to 16‘
• upper manual: 8₂‘, lute to 8₂‘,
• coupler for the manuals, 4‘-transmission
• transposing device (a¹ = 440/415 Hz)
• length 255 cm (8‘4“), width 94 cm (3‘1“), net weight 76 kg)

Additional equipment:

• benches and covers matching the instrument
• lid painting