Objekt 13
Querspinett, J.H. Silbermann, around 1770
Description
Johann Heinrich Silbermann was born in Strasbourg on September 24, 1727, and died there in 1799 as a respected organ and instrument maker. His marriage in 1760 produced two sons, the elder of whom, Johann Friedrich (1762 - 1805) learned his father's trade.
Johann Heinrich was the youngest son of the organ maker Andreas Silbermann (1678 - 1734) and the brother of Johann Andreas (1712 - 1783), who had built, among others, the organs in the Arlesheim Cathedral and in various churches in Basel, such as the neighboring Leonhardskirche (today a reconstruction).
Johann Heinrich acquired his knowledge of stringed piano building mainly from his uncle Gottfried Silbermann (1683 - 1753) in Freiberg (Saxony). From 1742 to 1743 he worked in his workshop and became acquainted with the fortepiano, which was quite new at that time. He also made fortepianos himself, using a fortepiano action similar to that of the inventor of the pianoforte, Bartolomeo Cristofori (1655 - 1731).
In the 1760s, he specialized in the construction of transverse spinets, which largely correspond to the model of the instrument on display. The quality of his instruments was highly praised by contemporaries. He delivered to Germany, England, Latvia, Russia, Sweden and Switzerland.
Object description
Johann Heinrich Silbermann (1727-1799)
Strasbourg, around 1770
Letter S intertwined in the openwork rosette (soundboard)
Walnut (case, lid); spruce with openwork rosette (soundboard); brass (strings, F1 - As); steel (strings, A - f3)
Range F1 - f3; one 8' stop; h. 817 mm (total); h. 212 mm; b. 1140 mm; d. 645 mm (case without lid); l. 138 mm (wall, back left), 1916 mm (center), 345 mm (right); key size 480 mm; octave size 160 mm
Gift of Councillor Hagenbach-Merian, Basel
Inv. no. 1878.9.