Pfeiffer Double Manual Harpsichord: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

This harpsichord was made by Carl A. Pfeiffer in Stuttgart, Germany in 1909. It is a double manual harpsichord with a compass of FF - f3, and a disposition of 1 x 16’ (lower), 2 x 8’ and 1 x 4’ (upper), with buff and shove coupler. The functions of the 4 hand stops is upper left “forte 16‘ (raises dampers), lower left “Coppel” (slides in upper manual when pulled at he same time as the lower right hand stop, upper right “Laute 8‘” (buff), and lower right “Coppel.” The 4 stop action pedals operate registers (from left to right): 16’; lower 8’; upper 8’; and 4’. The harpsichord has a spruce soundboard, ebony naturals and ebony accidentals with ivory tops. The nameboard is inscribed: “Bachflügel gefertigt von Karl A. Pfeiffer Stuttgart.”

The inseparable case is veneered in dark red mahogany and is ornamented with brass decorations. The square tapered legs feature carved and gilded female figures at the top.

This harpsichord is modeled after an unsigned harpsichord in the Staatliches Institut für Musikforschung in Berlin. It is a fine example of harpsichord making in the early years of the harpsichord revival around the turn of the 20th century.

Materials, dates and provenance

• date made: 1909
• maker: Pfeiffer, Carl A.
• Object Name: harpsichord
• Physical Description: mahogany (case material)
• Physical Description: metal (overall material)
• Physical Description: spruce (soundboard material)
• Physical Description: ivory (naturals material)
• Physical Description: ebony (accidentals material)
• Measurements: overall (without legs): 12 1/2 in x 38 1/2 in x 94 1/2 in; 31.75 cm x 97.79 cm x 240.03 cm
• Measurements: overall: 16 in x 38 3/4 in x 95 in; 40.64 cm x 98.425 cm x 241.3 cm
• place made: Germany: Baden-Württemberg, Stuttgart
• ID Number: MI.316170
• accession number: 66271
• catalog number: 316170
• Credit Line: Gift of Hugo Worch
• Data Source: National Museum of American History

Sources and reuse

Catalogue descriptions and facts adapted from National Museum of American History through the Smithsonian's official Open Access dataset. This record explicitly marks its metadata CC0 1.0; formatting and selection have been changed.