Craft of Sounds   Lorenzo Ghielmi

Music changes with developments in instruments and vice versa. One shape leads to another; they are transformed along national lines, and social upheavals give rise to new types. The Italian harpsichordist, organist and conductor Lorenzo Ghielmi – a founding member of Il Giardino Armonico – gives us an insight into the art of instrument making with the help of various harpsichords built by the Tyrolean Herbert Kuen. Born 1940 in Innsbruck, Kuen studied forestry and organ. He built his first harpsichordist at the age of 22; in the meantime he has completed over forty instruments. In addition to Italian and Dutch models, Kuen has also built Flemish and German replicas.

In the 16th and 17th centuries, Italy and Flanders were European centres of harpsichord making. The most famous harpsichord builders in Antwerp included the Ruckers family, and Kuen has built replicas of their instruments, among others. The differences between the countries lie in the proportions, the design, the materials and, consequently, the sound characteristics of the instruments, as Ghielmi illustrates through his choice of works.

Lorenzo Ghielmi – harpsichord by Herbert Kuen