Russell Collection of Early
Keyboard Instruments

HS3-IC1645.7: Single-manual harpsichord, Ioannes Couchet.
Antwerp, 1645.

Signature: "IOANNES COUCHET FECIT ANTVERPIÆ" written on the eighteenth-century namebatten.

History: This harpsichord was built as a normal single-manual harpsichord, typical in most respects of those built by Couchet and the Ruckers. At some time in the eighteenth-century it was given a ravalement, extending the width of the case and all associated structures, the widening compass, and altering the disposition. At some time in the present century the eighteenth-century ravalement was removed. In the process, the case width became less than originally, the compass was changed to C to c³, but the eighteenth-century disposition was retained. This state, which it never had in the historical period, is typical of no historical practice. The data given there are therefore an informed guess of what the original state would have been like.

Rose: Initials: IC. Diameter: 74/75 Location: Centre is 112 from the spine and 468 to the nameboard.

Scantlings:
 

Element	Length	Height	Thickness	Wood
Spine:	1814	230	13.4	poplar
Cheek:	(572)*	230	13.7	poplar
Bentside:	---	230	11.5-13.2	poplar
Tail:	229	230	12.5	poplar
Baseboard:	---	---	(12.9)	(poplar)

Case width at the gap: Inside: (684); outside: (711) Soundboard/wrestplank to top of the case: 49½
Nameboard thickness: 12.6

Keyboard:*
Compass: C/E to c³, 45 notes
3-octave span: (500)
Total width of keyboard at the natural fronts: (643)

Disposition:
 

	Plucking Direction	Pitch
Back Row:		4'
Front Row:		8'

There was originally a buff stop which, unlike that on the usual Ruckers harpsichords, was not split.

Stop lever arrangement:
The registers would have originally projected out on the right through the cheek, as did the original buff stop.

Estimated original scalings:
 

8'		4'
	String Length	String Length
c³	178	88
f²	268	129
c²	358	174
f¹	530	257
c¹	690	339
f	945	475
c	1136	582
F	1370	724
C/E	1391	743

Width of the string band from the 8' C/E to the 8' c³: (610).

Nut/wrestplank gauge markings:
There are no gauge markings, but a few note names marked in the original Flemish handwriting are visible on the wrestplank.

Keyboard Pin dimensions:

Element	Balance pins	Key-tail guide pins
Diameter:	(1.8)	(0.9)
Height/Length:	(~20)	(~6½)
Material:	iron	brass

Pin dimensions:*

Element	Bridge pins	Nut pins	Hitchpins	Back-pins	Tuning pins
8':
Diameter:	1.0	1.0	1.6	1.0	4.0
Height:	3.4	3.6	3.5	---	37
Material:	brass	brass	brass	brass	iron
4':
Diameter:	1.0	1.0	1.3	---	3.3
Height:	2.5	2.6	4.0	---	36
Material:	brass	brass	brass	---	iron

Total length of the tuning pins: 8': 55 ; 4': 47
The 8' bridge was originally back-pinned from C/E to c inclusive; the 4' bridge would not have been back-pinned.

Bridge and nut dimensions:

Soundboard wood quality:
Maximum number of 36 rings per 2.5 cms near tenor c. Minimum number of 13 rings per 2.5 cms near f².

Materials:

Decoration:
The soundboard decoration is original with flowers, fruit, birds and scampi, and the usual blue scalloped borders and blue arabesques. The soundwell and keywell have their original papered decorations. Otherwise the outside of the case, the lid and the stand are painted in a green lacquer enriched with gold lines and floral swags and drops. The bal-ance of much of the outer case decoration has been spoiled when the eighteenth-century ravalement was removed.

Biography of Ioannes Couchet:
Ioannes (Jan) Couchet was a grandson of Hans Ruckers and a nephew of Ioannes and Andreas Ruckers. He was born in Antwerp on 2 February 1615, and was apprenticed to his uncle, Ioannes Ruckers, probably in 1625 following the death of his mother. Couchet worked in his uncle's workshop until Ruckers died in 1642. He was then registered in the Guild of St Luke as a master harpsichord builder, and in 1643 he married Angela van den Brant. All of their sons became harpsichord builders. Like his uncle, Couchet tuned and repaired the organs in many of Antwerp's major churches. He died on 4 April 1655. Couchet's harpsichords and virginals are identical in many respects to those of his uncle Ioannes Ruckers, but Couchet seems to have extended the Ruckers tradition, for his instruments often exhibit features not found in those of the Ruckers.

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