Harpsichords are made according to 16th and 17th century Flemish
traditions and meet the highest standards of craftsmanship and musical
properties..
Instruments:
A.
Flemish Harpsichord
Single manual harpsichord made according to flemish/dutch tradition.
Case made of limewood, soundboard alpine spruce.. Stops: 2 x 8' ,
or 8' and 4', or 2x 8' and 4'. All configurations with one
buff stop. Compass: GG - d'''. All Bach's harpsichord works can be
played on this instrument. Wooden jacks, delrin plecta. Size: 2.05
meters long, 85 cm wide. Transposition possibility: 390-415-440 Hz.
Very thin (1.6 mm at some places) planed soundboard gives this
instrument an extremely sonorous sound, combined with a volume that is
strong enough for a continuo party in an orchestra.
There are two versions, the only difference is the finishing (painting
etc).
1. Made to tradition with marble painting, decorated papers, painted
soundboard etc (as in pictures), painted and varnished in 8 layers.
This instrument could be in one of Vermeer's paintings....
2. Simply 3 layer painted and varnished instrument without
other decorations
Listen to
the second harpsichord I made in 2006 (picture below), played by Lars
Frode.
Is harpsichord tuning difficult? Not with
this method
from 1699 by to the Dutch organ and harpsichord player Claas Douwes,
from his book "Grondig ondersoek van de toonen der musijk (In-depth
study of the tones of music)!
B. Hommels
and dulcimers
A hommel is the dutch/flemish ancestor of the American
Appalachian Dulcimer. The big differences are the fretting: it is
diatonic, and the presence of drone strings. In France
simular
instruments are called "Epinette des Vosges". Ahommel can be played in
several ways: By plucking ("finger picking"), striking with a
plectrum, or with a bow.
Simple
"hommel" in walnut and maple
I can make virtually
every type for you, from a simple square model to a model with a large
curved body as in the picture. Prices: from 250-500
euro.
Listen
to a duo of the large bodied models, played by Harry Heijnen and Eric
de Reijer. They perform several ways to play the hommel here: bow,
plucking and striking.
Large
bodied "hommel" in maple and mahogany
C. Hurdy-Gurdies
1. Model 4. Large
traditional Dutch model. 2 chanter strings (gut), 3 drones and 1
trumpet string (gut), 4 steel symphatetic strings.
Soundboard first quality alpine spruce; sides and back maple
or nut. The soundboard makes no contact with the wheel bar or key box ,
which allows it to resonate freely like in a guitar. This produces a
superior sound quality.
This instrument is made for Dutch and Flemish folk music, but is as
good for Hotteterres "Les noces Champêtres" or
Vivaldi's "Il pastor Fido", (Why not accompanied by one of the above
harpsichords?)
2. Model "Syntagma I"
Electric hurdy gurdy,
for amplified use only. Three strings, three shadow elements, three
Terratec pre-amplifiers, Behringer 8 channel mixer with effect
processor. Use your
own power amplifier or get two active speakers with it. Price: 2200
euro. Extra strings, trumpets and drones possible. Listen to this instrument
