The instrument plan is based on 51 notes (C-d''') with a 6.25 inch octave spacing. All of the strings are brass with heavier, red brass in the foreshortened portion of the bass and higher strength yellow brass elsewhere. An Iberian style harpsichord, such as the one made by Jose' Calisto c. 1780, represented a merging of ideas from Flemish and Italian construction. Italian instruments of the seventeenth century were characterized by all brass strings and essentially Pythagorean length scaling (length inversely proportional to fundamental frequency). The uniformity of string material and scaling produces a quality of evenness in the harmonic content of the sound. Flemish instruments, such as those made by the Ruckers family, use a mix of brass and steel in the strings and have bass string lengths shorter than would be dictated by Pythagorean scaling. The greater string tensions and multiple choirs required more robust case design and bracing. The few Portuguese instruments remaining today combine Pythagorean scaling, all brass strings, and solid wall casing as in the Ruckers instruments.
The requirements for my experiment in construction were simplicity and ease of construction. I found that the Ruckers style of case construction to be both simple and easy to produce. I originally hoped to use Pythagorean scaling throughout the compass; however, the required overall length was judged to be unwieldy for a first attempt. Thus, a somewhat unorthodox design resulted that can best be summarized as a either a foreshortened Portuguese design or an all-brass Ruckers.
The string plan is a single choir at 8' scale, keeping with the need for simplicity and the desire to keep the instrument at home for my own enjoyment.
The requirements for my experiment in construction were simplicity and ease of construction. I found that the Ruckers style of case construction to be both simple and easy to produce. I originally hoped to use Pythagorean scaling throughout the compass; however, the required overall length was judged to be unwieldy for a first attempt. Thus, a somewhat unorthodox design resulted that can best be summarized as a either a foreshortened Portuguese design or an all-brass Ruckers.
The string plan is a single choir at 8' scale, keeping with the need for simplicity and the desire to keep the instrument at home for my own enjoyment.
