Resumen de Evolutions and transformations of harpsichords in France in the 17th and 18th centuries
Christine Laloue, Jean Philippe Echard
The study of a large corpus of archival documents, published encyclopaedic teatrises and surviving instruments produced in France in the 17th and 18th centuries sheds new light on the evolution and transformation of the harpsichord at this period, focusing in particular on musical characteristics such as the key range. In this context the variability in the meaning of the term "ravalement" as understood today, covering various types of enlargement of the instruments, it thoroughly discussed. During the first half of the 18th century at least, harpsichords with different key ranges were built, with a general trend towards wider ranger. Instruments with diverse key ranges co-existed at one time, most likely with no strict prevailing standard. In parallel with instruments being produced, older instruments -in particular Flemish, but also French- were transformed in order to meet the evolving demands of musical composition and playing. The motivations of the makers who performed these "mises à ravalement" are also discussed. The extensive transformations of older instruments, which retained the name of their original maker but sometimes contain only a few original parts, strongly modified the tonal and musical characteristics.
