NEUPERT harpsichord Ruckers

Here you can see a part of a concert with Jean Rondeau playing a NEUPERT harpsichord "Ruckers" double manual:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q13W_HcLkNM&list=RDSMbBYR_lplE&index=3

Ruckers is the most famous name in the history of building harpsichords.

For three generations, from the end of the sixteenth to the middle of the seventeenth century, the Ruckers proved their high skilfulness building harpsichords in Antwerp and developed instruments that were to set tonal standards for centuries.

Even about 150 years later one could read in the „Encyclopédie“ by Didérot and d‘Alembert: „Referring to the beauty of sound the best harpsichords that have ever been built are the ones built by the three Ruckers (Hans, Ioannes, Andreas) ....“.

From more than 100 Ruckers instruments that have survived NEUPERT chose and reproduced a single manual harpsichord made by Andreas Ruckers (1579-1651) in 1637. Today this instrument belongs to the collection of musical instruments of the Germanisches Nationalmuseum Nürnberg (MIR 1073).

Starting from the harpsichord, which was in widely original state, NEUPERT developed a completely convincing concert harpsichord by adding a second manual with a second 8‘-register and by enlarging the keyboard to A₁ - f³.

Its sound pattern reaching from delicate silvery sounds to sounds of full richness represents the typical merits of best Flemish harpsichord traditions and connects them with a comparatively small case which has the advantage of easy handling (total length 197 cm).

Technical details:

• keyboard compass: G₁ - f³ (4 5/6 octaves)
• naturals ebony, sharps pearwood covered by bone
• lower manual: 8₁‘, 4‘
• upper manual: 8₂‘, lute to 8₂‘
• shifting coupler
• length 197 cm (6‘5“), width 90 cm (2‘11“), net weight 62 kg

Additional equipment:

• transposing device (a¹ = 440/415 Hz)
• gold leaf bands
• painted soundboard
• stand in different styles
• benches and covers matching the instrument
• lid painting