Greta’s Sperrhake
in LIONS HALL
Sperrhake single manual harpsichord
Made in Passau, Bavaria (Germany) c. 1965, this sturdy instrument is an ideal and affordable instrument for a student or an enthusiastic amateur. It has been used and appreciated in practice and in concert with several Bay Area amateur Baroque ensembles. It was reconditioned in July, 2020 by Berkeley harpsichord repair and restoration specialist David van Ness and is now fully functional.
Overall dimensions:
Length: 67¼”
Width: 33"
Depth with lid closed: 8¾”
Height with lid closed: 31¾”
Features:
⦁ Non-transposing, but can be tuned up or down to A=440Hz or A=415Hz
⦁ Composite material (not solid wood) tapered case with walnut veneer
⦁ 54 wooden keys (4½ octaves) - black with white sharp/flat keys
⦁ Leather plectra on low choir, Delrin (synthetic) on high choir
⦁ 4 new jacks have been fabricated and 2 repaired
⦁ Soundboard in very good condition (no cracks)
⦁ Felt in very good condition (jack rail and music desk)
⦁ 3 register hand stops plus lute stop – knee lever for 4’ octave on/off
⦁ Tapered legs screw into case
⦁ Lid affixed to case with 3 brass hinges
⦁ When fully closed, lid covers the keyboard and for moving can be held in place with the key
⦁ Lid stick attached inside the case; has short secondary stick for smallest open position
⦁ Lid can be propped open in 3 different positions
⦁ Tuning wrench and decorative keys included
⦁ Printed reference and instruction manual (loose-leaf)
⦁ Fits in a Prius (or similar) sedan when the legs are detached
Caveats:
⦁ Partial sun fading on top of the lid and under the key cover
⦁ Some veneer damage on lower edge of case
⦁ Some veneer splintering on edge of one leg
⦁ No accompanying bench or stool
⦁ Keyboard lock mechanism is small and not reliable during transport
For a Youtube video demonstration of a Sperrhake harpsichord and its workings by John Chapman, click HERE. His demonstration shows a double manual instrument, but much of the information is relevant to this single manual. Chapman invites questions and gives his contact information at the end of the video (at 8min, 38 sec).
For pricing, please see Henry Lebedinsky - The Harpsichord Shop (tables L-13 through L-16)
