Ruckers double in original disposition
HTML-код
- Опубликовано: 23 сен 2017
- This instrument is a copy after Ioannes Ruckers, 1638 (Russell Collection Edinburgh, No. 6), made by Matthias Griewisch 2016, artwork by Christian Scheuber.
As far as we know, all double manual harpsichords made by the Ruckers family had a particular disposition: two sets of strings, four rows of jacks, two non-aligned manuals. The resulting palette of sounds is unmatched by later harpsichord types and perfectly fits the repertoire of the early 17th century.
Sweelinck acquired such an instrument for the city of Amsterdam in 1604, making it an ideal match for his music.
All but one of the extant Ruckers doubles have been altered during the late 17th and 18th centuries to what we consider a normal harpsichord today. This alteration called 'ravalement' not only changes the keyboard range and alignment of the manuals, but also severely changes the timbre and presence of an instrument, as well as its touch.
So far there are only a handful of playable copies of this instrument type that was once considered a standard.
Recorded at Kloster Beinwil, September 2017. Slightly irregular meantone temperament, reference pitch between 392 Hz and 415 Hz. 
Видеоклипы
I was born 58 years ago, and have been listening to harpsichords all my life. I can truly say this is the most magnificent instrument I've ever heard. Thank you for allowing us to listen to it!
Ok boomer.
А орган?
Вам не кажется, что оргАн более выразительный?
Musical organ? Разве не лучше?
Would definitely buy a recording that includes complete works featuring all the sounds of this wonderful instrument.
An amazing document. We are transported into the past. So expressive. Glorious and overwhelming. No wonder that the French makers took these to make their doubles.
What an extraordinary and breathtaking spectrum of colour and tone....absolutely magnificent!
I totally agree with you!
Wow - what an amazing palette of colors. Hats off to Ruckers' original design/disposition, to Mr. Griewisch for a lovely instrument, and to you, Johannes, for gorgeous playing and for sharing this with the wider public!
Wow
Flabbergasted!
One of the most beautiful harpsichords
of the period ever heard!!
Yep. We need much more music Mr.Keller.
Is that historical fingering I see? :)
Excellent video and great demonstration of a harpsichord! The only thing we miss is a whole Sweelinck piece on it.
oh wow, so many different timbre changes. Some of them very extreme... Incredible
Wonderful instrument wonderfully played! I am amazed to see and hear the old fingerings in action.
2:20 beautiful authentic early fingering techniques
Why'd we stop doing that? Seems so much easier than pivoting off of the 3rd/4th
@@DangerRussDayZ6533 In very little keyboards it isn't, but in bigger ones it's just a mess (I think we should only use it when it is easy and feels nice)
@@melzlink4100 I agree, the comfort of these fingerings depend a lot on the geometry of the keys. With these Ruckers keyboards I perceive 'historical fingerings' as more safe and comfortable indeed!
What a rich and vibrant sound, and so warm.
What an instrument!! Absolutely amazing! What can one say about the versatility of this incredible invention. I have never heard a harpsichord sound like this. Bravo!!!!!
Quelle richesse harmonique ! Bravo Matthias Griewisch
Gorgeous instrument, brilliant playing!
What a beautiful instrument, masterpiece of art!!
Resonates in the mind like a late renaissance 10 course lute - full, woody, and a kind of Italianesque sylvan light, the likes of which the Dutch painter Jan Both so aptly portrayed in his works.
Thank you for your comment! I agree, there are some lute like qualities in the sound, but there is also some organ, a hint of harp, etc. Really amazingly versatile. I love your comparison to art, makes a lot of sense in my opinion!
Magnificent harpsichord! So many possibilities and registers!
Beautiful & Autumnal in sound timbre.
What a wonderful demonstration of this incredibly nuanced and versatile instrument! Thank You! :)
Love stuff like this as I have made several harpsichords (and organs) over the years. Great work in both building and playing here.
Absolutely wonderful! What a great sound!
Amazing demonstration! Thank you!
This is the ultimate keyboard instrument.
Very nice especially the Lachrimae fragment
This is beautiful and amazing! I hope this kind of musical content will be popular someday.
Sounds great Johannes!
Wonderful demonstration!
I've never heard such a versatile harpsichord before! Amazing!!
Very nice and clear illustration of a transposing double Ruckers, nice original fingering, excellent!
Hermosa demostración. Saludos.
Such sophisticated playing.
wow, what a beautiful sound
Wahnsinnig schöner Klang!
Simply breathtaking. To hear those original colours. O'Brien IR 1638(b) recreated - so many thanks for the upload. Now to hear a recital of Byrd, Farnaby, Gibbons etc on the instrument ;-)
Thank you for your comment! I'm slowly starting to work on the English repertoire, so far I mainly focused on Sweelinck. But the missing broken short octave limits the possibilities for the 'virginalists' slightly.
Gracias al canal,las demostraciones de los diferentes registros de este instrumento antecesor del piano es en verdad extraordinario,permiten apreciar una más amplia gama de coloratura y timbres sonoros.
Soy músico clásico y les aseguro que este video es de un gran valor cultural.
Wat een prachtig instrument! En een ingetogen, doorvoelde uitvoering. Jan Ruckers zelf zou het fantastisch vinden!
Amazing instrument!! Wow!!
Stunning
Wunderbar, Johannes!
Un excellent document sur la vraie disposition des grands Rückers qui demeurent ignorée et des facteurs (un oubli ???) et des interprètes et bien sûr du public.... Beaucoup de choses restent à explorer au niveau de ma factures, des doigtés, des tempéraments et des tempi... Par conformisme à a moyenne par paresse aussi on reste encore dans le baroque standardisé... Merci encore pour votre contribution, en attendant mieux c'est précieux ! :)
This is amazing! It should be sample-libraried! kidding :P No, sincerely, I had heard about these instruments but never had had the chance to hear one, this is outstanding. Thank you, and great playing.
Thank you, yes, this sound was a true discovery for me. I hope many more of these instruments will be made and used, the 17th century repertoire really needs them!
Замечательно ! Большое спасибо !
Ein eindrucksvolles Instrument in jeder Hinsicht. Die Farbgebung welche hier durchgängig ins lila abgleitet ,hatte ich anders gewählt.
Aber das ist ja eine Frage des individuellen Geschmackes. Danke fürs zeigen.
That is the most beautiful sounding harpsichord I've ever heard.
Indeed! I wish all these segments were full performances!!
@@marcussfebruary9104 I know, right?
A true jewel!
Este es el instrumento más hermoso que haya escuchado.
Very special! Thank you.
Fabuloso 😃👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼
Beautiful. I have JUST enough space in my condo for that instrument! 😁
Magnifique
Truly spiffing!
Этот композитор всегда меня интересовал. Жаль, что только фрагменты пьес.
Johannes Keller
This kinda reminds me of Irvin Berlin's Transposing Piano. The bottom Keyboard would've transposed down a Perfect Fourth from Concert pitch so that Irvin Berlin could sing in his Key while playing in his Fingerings.
Verbazingwekkend, thank you !
The gorgeous sound of Ruckers harpsichords!! Takes your breath away! They're to harpsichords what Stradivari or Guarneri del jesu are to violins. Yes of course the sophistication, the registers and all that; but the beauty of the sound produced by those instruments is unlikely incredible.
Is this the Rolls Royce of the harpsichords? hahaha what an amazing instrument! I didn't know a harpsichord could have so many resources.
On the Upper Keyboard we have 8 & 4 ft Ranks of Strings while the Lower Keyboard has 12 & 6 ft Ranks of Strings & it transposes down a Perfect 4th from Concert pitch.
I have seen one like these on Museum of instruments on Rome near to Basilica Santa croce in Gerusalemme.
That's some harpsichord! Sweelinck is a gas! Gotta get me some
MAGNIFIQUE
SUPERBE
браво
❤❤❤
❤❤❤❤
What's the purpose of two keyboards? Magnificent instrument. Thank you for providing the demonstration of different sounds within one instrument.
1:33 Flow my Tears
How does the split buff stop work? How does he do?
Beeindruckend schön und abwechslungsreich, ein Segen für denjenigen, der dem 8/8/4-Standard auf 2 Manualen nicht mehr lauschen mag, weil es zu eintönig ist. Für mich eine Herausforderung, diesem Phänomen von Instrumententypus und Klangbild konkret konkret meine volle Aufmerksamkeit zu schenken, zumal dieser klangliche Abwechslungsreichtum sehr viel näher an dem Klangbild der korrespondierenden Orgeln aus dem 16. und 17. Jahrhundert dran ist als alle je zuvor gehörten Cembali. Danke für diesen hoch inspirierenden Beitrag! Welche Temperatur wurde gelegt? ¼ Komma mitteltönig?
This makes me wanna build harpsichords allthough the only stuff I build to this day was from Ikea :/
What are the best theories as to why Ruckers built like this?
The upper manual plays at "normal" pitch (i.e. 8' and 4'), whereas the lower keyboard plays a fourth lower (12' and 6') albeit from the same set of strings. Fir a detailed analysis of instruments like this, refer to Grant O'Brien's book, "Ruckers, a Harpsichord and Virginal Building Tradition"
@@philipbay1548 But why did they do that? I imagine that it was to transpose pieces, no? Mainly for vocal music accompaniment, no?
@@producaoosmusicosdotejo2373 yes, it was for transposing
@@producaoosmusicosdotejo2373 Hallo aus Deutschland, ich beschäftige mich seit vielen Jahren mit der besonderen Magie der Ruckers Instrumente. Ich verfolge als Erklärung für das kurze obere Manual einen anderen Ansatz. Ich halte es für möglich, oder sogar warscheinlich, dass die musikalische Praxis in den Häusern der wohlhabenden ,den Gedanken des Mutter-Kind Cembalos auch auf die grösseren Instrumente ausgedehnt wurde. Man muss sich also vorstellen, das rechter Hand zum Spieler ein Kind oder Schüler stand ,welcher mit dem kurzen Manual den Lehrer begleitet hat. Die obere Diskantseite war für ihn ohnehin nicht erreichbar, wurde also nicht benötigt. Dieser Ansatz enthält einen wichtigen sozialen Aspekt welcher nur in den Niederlanden in dieser Form gepflegt wurde.Einige zeitgenössische Gemälde lassen ebenfalls diesen Rückschluss zu. Alles Gute.
@@pyramos5770 Interesting idea! danke!
Is there a CD with this instrument? I would love an album with music of this period together with Eva Saladin
Hi, Johannes! I am quite impressed and would love to see the instrument! Is it yours?
Such a beautiful instrument. I long to hear the Goldberg Variations played on it.
Why is it called 6 ft Register? Is it a Quint Harpsichord or something?
Hello, thank you for this great video.
The description says there two sets of strings, however the player uses a 12', a 8', a 6' and a 4'. Would you please explain how this works?
Each string has two plectrums assigned to it, one for each manual. So you can get all these different sounds out of only two sets of strings.
I don't see an explanation for the unallined keys, can someone tell me...
There is not really a straight forward explanation for this. We simply don't know. Current research seems to agree that it was to help players execute transpositions. I tend to disagree with this explanation, since I see that the unaligned keyboards offer so many more things than a mere transposition. As I tried to demonstrate in the video, you have so many highly different sound worlds available. It's like having a whole consort of keyboard instruments in one box.
@@JohannesKellerCembalo thanks 👍
The first manual acoustic synthesizer.
I believe that would actually be the pipe organ.
Kind of an oxymoron? Lel
I know good "Il ballo del Granduca"
Explain the 12' register. When you play a C does it sound as an F?
When playing the c-key on the lower manual (12‘), the pitch is the same as the one belonging to the g-key on the upper manuals (8‘). The a-key on the upper manual is normally tuned around 400 Hz.
Strictly speaking it is a 10 2/3’ stop if the C key sounds the G below. 12’ pitch will sound the F below.
I must just say, Johannes, that your version of Sweelinck’s Toccata 2di Toni (SwWV 292), even though you only played a short excerpt from it, was the best rendition I’ve heard of that piece.
I think it was a combination of your masterful musicianship and the fact you chose to play it with the big mute to give it a subdued, ethereal tone which made it magnificent. Would you ever consider playing that piece in full for RUclips?
2:57 3:45
Браво исполнителю!!! Руки волшебные! Всем детям, кто учится на фотрепиано, надо прказывать эти красивые и правильные руки!
So, you can use the keyboards together, just not at the same time :)
Actually you can, with the long set of strings on one, and the sort set on the other. But then one hand needs to transpose. I do that occasionally for Echo Fantasias, where it works well. Combined with the split buff stop, you can have three different sounds at the same time!
@@JohannesKellerCembalo Yes, indeed! I see you demonstrate this possibility briefly in the video. How marvellous.
About A= 375
I see Ita not low tuning at all was listening to 12'
it’s so sad that pianos (which evolved from the harpsichord) lost all of those register options you had, the only thing you have to change the colour is una corda but I think there could be more
Piano did NOT evolve from the harpsichord. They are not from the same family. They evolved from the CLAVICHORD, as they are HAMMERS instruments.
@@iama8537 Sorry but the clavichord is NOT a hammer instrument. The hammer of a piano, dulcimer, etc, strikes and immediately bounces off a string that vibrates between the bridge and the nut. But the tangent of a clavichord strikes a string that vibrates between the bridge and the tangent itself - there is no nut because the tangent replaces it - and the tangent is held there for the whole duration of the note, because the string ceases to vibrate as soon as the tangent is lowered (because the key is no longer pressed down by the player - they are at opposite ends of the key lever). The other end of the string is wrapped in cloth to dampen it.
Look it up if you don't believe me.
@@gerardvila4685 it is exactly what I said ! What is not clear in my message? I wrote that the piano DID NOT EVOLVE FROM THE HARPSIVHORD
1) Any digital keyboard can imitate 10 or 20 different instruments (piano, synth, harpsichord,organ etc.) The higher the price the better the imitations.
2) Piano/harpsichord simulations in software - the best seems to be Pianoteq - connected to a digital keyboard, can imitate any INDIVIDUAL model of instrument (eg a Steinway D) and can be tweaked to behave like any imaginary instrument you can think of. It's less noble than building a real Ruckers harpsichord or a real Steinway/Bosendorfer/Fazioli/Name Your Poison piano, but it's an awful lot cheaper, and you can swap instruments at will!
@@gerardvila4685 I know all of that and I do find it very interesting that nowadays we can sample literally anything and play with it but I was meaning more the fun it is to have an acoustic instrument being able to change its timbre by switching a key or pulling some stops (like on the organ, which emulates sooo many different instruments using just mechanics)... I don’t know, there’s something magical about an acoustic instrument being able to change its sound
Шаги в начале звучат как музыка
12' and 6', very strange seeing as most if not all harpsichords have 4 and 8 foot registers. It should result in a harpsichord with a length of more than 350 cm. Am i missing something? Also, does anyone know the temperament in which Keller is playing? I have seen some essays of his about a multitude of temperaments (mostly of German origin i think) including meantone. I hope someone can answer these questions
Hi Laurens, the length of the harpsichord mainly depends on the length of the string of the lowest note. Depending on the type of material and thickness this length can vary a lot, for the same pitch. This harpsichord is ca. 2.40m long, the lowest pitch is a fourth lower than an open c-string on a violoncello. This is quite normal for harpsichords. The temperament I used for this recording could be called meantone, I didn't follow a strict definition when tuning, but I aim for pure or almost-pure major thirds and considerably tempered fifths. When measured I expect it to be quite close to a usual 1/4-comma-meantone temperament.
one of the few instruments by Griewisch that doesn't sound completely sterile. But nothing about this builder is in any sense close to the originals. He's a good merchant, that’s all.
I must disagree vehemently. Not only is his craftsmanship as perfect as it gets (I've played on 30 year old instruments of his with keyboards as straight as on the very first day), but he's one of the few builders whose different models actually sound vastly different from one another. His Italians sound quite different from his Germans, which sound very different from his late French instruments, and so on. With many other builders everything kind of sounds the same - so why bother getting a Ruckers, if it sounds exactly like a Zell? Aside from that, he's one of the few builders who actually build "copies", using the correct materials, dimensions, glues, etc. Of course, he'll also add a transposing mechanism if you wish, and he does have some models on offer which are of his own design. But if you want a proper copy, look no further. Have you actually played many of his instruments? Which builder do you prefer, then?
@@AndreasGilger Exactly opposite of my experience. He claims to build copies, yet many parts are not built historically, e.g. the jacks. Also building „historically“ but using a laser-guided saw makes no sense to me. The result is instruments with almost no dynamic capabilities because of too little play for the jacks, etc. etc.
All in all many builders try to get as close to the original as possible, and no one will ever reach this goal. And that’s OK, as long as the instruments have a personality and do not sound like wooden boxes with strings attached to them. Many other builders are less known because they don’t have fancy websites or send calenders and beautiful catalogues to their customers.
@@AndreasGilger and tbh, I’ve not seen many 30-year-old instruments where the keyboards were not „straight“. And even if, that is not the point which makes an instrument inspiring and unique. Or usable. On the other hand, I’ve seen quite a few Griewischs where the tuning pins fly out and there’s nothing such as keeping the tuning. Now THAT’S a flaw I cannot live with. These instruments are a bit like Steinway (just worse): They’re everywhere (because of marketing and hearsay - so many players don’t really know what a good instrument is), but hardly anyone who has really diven into the world of instruments really appreciates them. Their sound resembles the „neo-baroque“ sound of the Early Music movement. Thin, piercing, cold, machine-ike.
@@saruceolsa4597 You are ill informed, then. His jacks are Swainson jacks, which are used by a number of top harpsichord builders, and whilst he does use some power tools to get the planks into a rough shape and thickness, he switches over to conventional hand-held tools after that. Hell, he's even got historical planes in his workshop! Again, you will find this to be standard practise amongst the majority of top builders - use machines for the big, rough work, and use hand-operated tools after that. Unlike many other builders Matthias does not use modern glues, for example. He does not lacquer his soundboards like some builders do, he does not change the dimension of keys like some builders do, he does not deviate from the soundboard barring like some builders do... I could go on, but you get my point.
Furthermore, whilst I agree that a straight keyboard has nothing to do with the sound quality of an instrument, it is an indication of good craftsmanship and quality wood. I have played on instruments by Platte, Ducornet, Zander, Hill, Kennedy, Kern, Hungerberg, and many others you might consider great builders, alongside many instruments of builders you would consider good, and few manage to reach such an exactness in their work. Same goes for the ability to keep the tuning, which I've found to be excellent in Griewisch harpsichords. You have, by the way, not answered my question about which builder's instruments correspond to your ideal.
I dare say the basis for your claims is a very small number of Griewisch instruments, and/or ones that have been very badly maintained by their owners. I suspect your beef with Griewisch instruments is that they're "too perfect", "too neat", and you're one of those people who like a certain "roughness" in their instruments. That's perfectly fine, and I get why that might seem attractive. That's no reason to go about talking trash about Griewisch instruments. The proof of the pudding is in the eating, after all, and everyone can easily convince themselves by playing his harpsichords themselves. Don't go listening to RUclips recordings, because they are rarely well recorded and will make any instrument sound bad, but go to Matthias' workshop and see for yourself!
they are machines, and sound like machines@@AndreasGilger
The Ruckers family build instruments with wonderful tone like no other and then kill it with a buff stop. No sense at all.
Jim Bo Yes they certainly did! But they also built the buff stop ... it’s part of their very own design. So I decide to respect the option of the buff stop as an idiomatic part of this instrument.
Certainly a versatile instrument and I much prefer the lower pitch.
What are you both on about? The buff stop sounds lovely!
Ha, I often feel the same! Until I heard a good one in the flesh. I'm told they're hard to make well, but I have a feeling they work better in person than on a recording.
The buff or similar effect was pretty well standard in the instrument until its demise in the late 18th century. From Ruckers to Hemsch to Kirckman - and a wonderful effect it had too: hence its popularity throughout the harpsichord's long life.
Like, why is the harpsichord transposed to 5 tones down?
Wouldn't a Ruckers just be 4' and 8'? 12' doesn't sound realistic.
Ian McKinnon The instrument has two sets of strings, one octave apart from each other. In this sense you are right, only 8‘ and 4‘. But there is a second manual that uses the same strings, but a fouth lower. That assigns a new function to the two sets of strings: 12‘ and 6‘. You could also call it a transposed 8‘. But I prefer 12‘.
A fourth below concert pitch makes the best sound. Not good for accompanying other instruments.
This had the potential to be a good recording. BUT, it's not. The thunking of the keyboard distracts from the rest of the sound. The sound pickup should have been further from the instrument.