Klinkhamer
& Partners
Harpsichord and Fortepianomakers
Since 1972
Amsterdam
Harpsichords: Descriptions Descripción Claves
Fortepiano's: Restoring the Clementi
'Mission Statement':
What are the
advantages our workshop can offer to you?
They are a combination of skills that result in beautiful and practical keyboard
instruments.
To whom can these skills be attributed and how can they be described?
Joop
Klinkhamer:
designs the instruments according to historical principles and is the founder of the
company.
He
developed a comprehensive knowledge of authentic harpsichords and their action, over a period of 30 years.
Joop loves to play and improvise on the harpsichord, confessing to a great
affinity with the French 17th-century 'Préludes non Mesurés'.
He has recently retired as manager of the partnership but is still active as a
consultant to the company.
However, he still applies the 'finishing touch' to the instruments that leave the shop.
Anton Amir:
The present manager of the partnership, is our specialist keyboardmaker (all the action parts are made in our
shop) and he makes complete instruments as well.
His skills as a player
-he won the amateur
harpsichord competition in Haarlem in 1988- allow him to closely monitor his work, resulting in a light and very flexible action of which the
keyboard is the very foundation. He is responsible for harpsichord maintenance at both the Amsterdam and Utrecht Conservatories,
and also gives courses in the subject.
Since our instruments can be found almost anywhere in the world, his work has
brought him there as well.
He has a university degree in the Dutch language and is a qualified translator of Spanish, coordinating the contacts with our
Spanish customers.
Christiaan Kraan:
who has been with the firm for over 25 years, has a
thorough and comprehensive technical background. He makes our drawings
and is a totally all-round woodworker with an extensive knowledge of all the
pittfalls in harpsichord and fortepiano construction.
His 'Magnum Opus' is the restoration of the 1800 Clementi Fortepiano from the
'Palacio de Queluz' in Lisbon.
What does all this mean
for the quality of the instrument?
It means that we
make it powerful and resonant yet capable of expressing all the subtleties required by
the music.
Stability in tuning and a reliable action is achieved by exposing the instrument to extremes of dryness and humidity before it leaves the workshop.
Last but not least: we also
travel in order to service our instruments, which is almost impossible
for a harpsichord maker who works on his own.
The late David J. Way, who introduced Joop Klinkhamer to harpsichordmaking used
to say: 'every player finally gets the harpsichord he or she deserves',
implying that over time maintenance is a critical element in the overall quality
of the harpsichord. Harpsichords need maintenance, period.