Meet Claudio

 

Early 17th Century Venetian Harpsichord

Built by David Jensen, 2003

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Claudio’s voice is clear and quick—built for brilliance. Made of cedar, he produces a transparent sound that sparkles in rapid passagework and dances with rhythmic vitality. Perfect for the fire and flair of 17th century Italy.​

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This lightweight continuo harpsichord, weighing only 40 lbs., is a quintessential example of Early Baroque craftsmanship. Featuring 2x8’ registers, it boasts remarkable resonance and portability, making it ideal for Italian Baroque and Virginalist repertoire. While traditionally housed in ornate outer cases (which we plan to add soon!), it currently serves as a pure, elegant continuo engine.​​

Meet Mlle de Camargo 

 

 

Mid-18th Century Hemsch Harpsichord

Built by Marc Ducornet, 2025

 

Mademoiselle de Camargo takes her name from the celebrated dancer painted on the lid, immortalized in the spirit of Nicolas Lancret’s fêtes galantes. Built in the grand French tradition of Henri Hemsch, this doublemanual harpsichord offers a richly layered palette of sound. Here, music becomes dance, rhetoric, and courtly theatre—every gesture shaped with grace.

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This double manual French harpsichord is made in the style of the instruments of Henri Hemsch, a German craftsman that made his career in France. This mid-eighteenth century French harpsichord model features a lush, rich sound perfectly attuned to 18th century keyboard music, especially French composers. The range of the instrument is (FF-g''') encompassing the most expansive 18th century repertoire. An additional decorative feature of the harpsichord are the curved Louis XV legs.

Meet George 

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Harpsichord by Burkat Shudi, 1744

Restored by Edwin Beunk

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Enter George: dignified, eloquent, and unmistakably English. Built in London in 1744 by the master maker Burkat Shudi, this harpsichord speaks with the confident voice of Georgian musical life—clear in the treble, sonorous in the bass, and full of refined brilliance.

 

This original harpsichord, built in 1744, has a keyboard compass of 5 octaves (FF-f3). This single manual instrument has 2 8' registers. The case is in walnut, cross banded with inlaid boxwood lining. This harpsichord is an early example of Shudi's beautiful work, appreciated by Handel, Frederick the Great, and Haydn.

Meet Johann 

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5-Octave Clavichord by Friederici, 1774

Built by Renée Geoffrion​

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Soft enough for a private room, yet capable of astonishing expressive subtlety, Johann whispers rather than projects. This was the instrument of composers at home, where ideas were born before they dazzled the concert hall.

 

Inspired by an original housed in the Musée de la musique in Paris, this walnut clavichord is both visually stunning and musically intimate. With its unfretted design and beautiful decorative roses, it spans five octaves, accommodating repertoire from early clavichord works to late-Classical masterpieces. Revered for its ability to demand precision, this instrument is a true teacher, refining the player’s touch and technique to produce its delicate, expressive sound.

Meet Constanze 

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Anonymous, ca. 1785

Restored by Edwin Beunk

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Constanze is the life of the Viennese salon. She laughs easily, sparkles in conversation, and always seems to have the perfect response at exactly the right moment. Built around 1785, she expresses the very sounds of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and other Classical composers. Her light Viennese action responds instantly to the smallest gesture, allowing melodies to sing, ornaments to glitter, and musical jokes to land with perfect timing.

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​This magnificent piano must have been in Gera, Germany, proof of which was found under the soundboard where mice had made their nests of snippets of Gera newspaper and of a Gera bee-keeper’s brochure. The great instrument makers of the Friederici family lived in Gera and they made pianos and other instruments in solid oak, but since there is no surviving comparable instrument which is signed, it cannot be attributed to Friederici with certainty. It is clear, though, that this instrument is a perfect piano for music of Mozart and Haydn! The keyboard compass is 5 octaves, FF-f3. The case is made of solid oak and it features one knee lever for damping and a hand-stop for the moderator. 

Meet Ludwig 

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Michael Rosenberger, ca. 1800

Restored by Edwin Beunk

 

Ludwig speaks with boldness, clarity, and agility. Built in Vienna around 1800, this instrument evokes the sound world of Ludwig van Beethoven, where music bursts with sudden contrasts, sharp wit, and flashes of drama. One moment he growls in the bass, the next he sparkles in the treble—always ready to surprise.

 

This rare, original Viennese fortepiano, built in 1800, spans 5½ octaves, from FF-c⁴. It’s clear, transparent tone and delicately responsive touch embody the refined aesthetic of Viennese Classicism. The instrument is equipped with two knee levers – one operating the dampers, the other the moderator – an elegant precursor to the foot pedals of the modern piano. It’s character and sound world are ideally suited to the music of Haydn, Mozart and the early works of Beethoven.

Meet Anton 

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Walter und Sohn, ca. 1805

Built by Gerard Tuinman, 2019

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Anton is a true Viennese burgher—lively, industrious, and very much at home in the musical buzz of the city. Melodies speak clearly, accompaniments bustle with energy, and every musical gesture feels like part of a lively salon discussion. Modeled after the celebrated instruments of Anton Walter, this fortepiano reflects the elegance that defined Vienna’s golden age of music-making. ​

 

This beautiful instrument is a copy of an instrument by Walter und Sohn from ca. 1805, privately owned in Spain. The compass is 5 ½ octaves, FF-c4, which makes a wide range of music possible; its character and sound world are ideally suited to the music of Haydn, Mozart and early Beethoven. The fortepiano features two knee levers, for the dampers and the moderator.

Meet Fitzwilliam 

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John Broadwood & Son, 1807

Restored by Edwin Beunk

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Fitzwilliam arrives from London with quiet confidence and impeccable pedigree. At first encounter, he may seem restrained, even a little formidable. But spend a moment in his company and a different character emerges: expressive, generous, and capable of remarkable warmth. English pianos of this period were built for a broader, more resonant sound than their Viennese cousins—a warm bass, a singing treble, and a tone that carries with dignified strength. Here, Classical elegance begins to lean toward Romantic intensity.

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This original English fortepiano, built in the early-19th century, has a compass of 5 1/2 octaves, from FF-c4. It is equipped with three pedals – una corda, damper lift and treble damper – allowing for a wide range of expressive colour. The instrument’s strong, resonant, early-Romantic timbre is particularly well suited to the late “English” sonatas of Haydn as well as Classical composers of the London school such as Clementi, Dussek, Cramer and John Field.

Meet Clara 

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Fortepiano by Conrad Graf,

1835 Restored by Edwin Beunk

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Clara’s voice is richer, warmer, and more sustained. By the 1830’s the piano had grown into a true Romantic instrument, capable of long singing lines and dramatic shading. It is exactly this kind of instrument that accompanied the great virtuosi of the time—including Clara Wieck Schumann, who received a Graf piano upon her marriage in 1840. Clara blends refinement with command. Beneath the grace lies a formidable musical voice, one that can whisper poetry or fill the hall with brilliance.

 

This original 1835 fortepiano by Conrad Graf is a masterpiece of Romantic-era design. Constructed from cherry wood and featuring 6.5 octaves (CC-G) with four pedals—damper, una corda, moderator, and double moderator—it offers a rich palette of tonal colors and expressive possibilities. Perfectly suited for works by Schumann, Chopin, and other Romantic composers, its deep bass register and tone-altering pedals create a lush, dynamic soundscape that also complements later Romantic repertoire beautifully.