Dutch Harpsichord 1755 - Edition Beurmann

mp3 Demo - C. F. van Meert - Fuga 1

mp3 Demo - C. F. van Meert - Fuga 2

mp3 Demo - C. F. van Meert - Fuga 3

mp3 Demo - Didone Raik - Suite VI 1 allegro

mp3 Demo - Didone Raik - Suite VI 2 siciliano

mp3 Demo - Didone Raik - Suite VI 3 allegro andante allegro

mp3 Demo - Jean Thomas Baustetter - Allegro

mp3 Demo - Matthias v. d. Gheyn - Morceau Fugue 1

mp3 Demo - Matthias v. d. Gheyn - Morceau Fugue 2

mp3 Demo - Matthias v. d. Gheyn - Morceau Fugue 4

mp3 Demo - P. J. van den Bosch - Allegro assai

Demo tracks by Steffen Fahl

The performances contain additional reverb.

The Dutch Harpsichord 1755-library features an original double-manual harpsichord by Johann Daniel Dulcken. It was built in 1755 in his workshop in the city of Antwerpen – which was part of the Netherlands back then. The instrument – sampled with its upper 8', lower 8', tutti combination and its 4' stop – offers rich, majestic, and lively sounds.

Dulcken harpsichord (image © Museum für Kunst & Gewerbe Hamburg)
 

Like all harpsichords, the instrument is not touch-sensitive. There are no real volume changes when hitting a key with different intensity. However, a note won’t sound just the same twice. The instrument’s strings and body always resonate slightly different.

If the same digital sample gets repeated immediately, the result is unnatural and harsh; this is the dreaded so-called „machine gun“-effect. It leaves even the casual listener rather puzzled. To capture the instrument in a lively way, we recorded every sampled register with 8 variations per note (4’ stop: 4 samples per note). They are triggered in succession to avoid repetition.

Additionally, the release sounds of the keys are of major importance: What was originally regarded as side noise, is part of the overall picture that “finishes” a note. When omitted, the instrument sounds rather abstract. Therefore, we recorded 4 release samples per key.

A view down onto the soundboard with its decoration
(image © Museum für Kunst & Gewerbe Hamburg)
 

Presets are included for the Native Instruments™ Kontakt® software sampler (full version required; Kontakt6® or higher), both in its original Valotti temperament at 390 Hz, as well as presets at 440 Hz. Additionally, the library contains an essay provided by Museum für Kunst & Gewerbe Hamburg, describing the history of the instrument.

The sample library consists of nearly 2,300 single samples.

The samples were recorded at the Museum für Kunst & Gewerbe Hamburg. For the recording, we employed microphones and preamps by the German manufacturer DS-audioservice™. The recordings were conducted at 192 kHz/24 bits, downsampled to your resolution of choice.

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