Contributor

Harpsichord after Mietke

[Mietke] [Ruckers]

The original of this instrument belonged to Frederick the Great (and is still today located in the castle of Charlottenburg in Berlin), who employed C.P.E. Bach. Carl Philipp's father, Johann Sebastian, used this instrument to perform his Musical Offering.

Johann Sebastian probably contacted Mietke personally to commission some instruments, providing instructions for their construction.

This instrument, ideal for the Bach repertoire, has a warm and intimate timbre, well balanced between bass and treble (hence ideal for the delineation of voices in contrapuntal writing).

The first two photos refer to the exact copy after the original. The third Photo has another decoration (the lid painting is a copy after William Turner); the fourth photo is a version in natural wood (Cherry) inspired to a harpsichord by Carl Grabner.

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