Christian Zell

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Harpsichord from 1728 (Hamburg)
Harpsichord from 1737 (Barcelona)
Harpsichord from 1741 (Weener)

Christian Zell (also cell; * around 1683 in Hamburg ; † April 13, 1763 there ) was a German harpsichord maker .

Life

Zell was probably a student of the harpsichord maker Michael Mietke . He is first mentioned in Hamburg in 1722, where he acquired citizenship on August 14th and was to spend his entire life. On September 1, 1722, he married Florentina, the widow of the instrument maker Carl Conrad Fleischer , and took over his workshop near the opera on Gänsemarkt . Together they had three children, all of whom had godparents from families of musicians in Hamburg. Christian Zell died in Hamburg at the age of 80. An entry in the death register of the Jacobikirche in Hamburg says that he was seventy-nine and a half years old when he died. Zell's exact date of birth is unknown; the year of birth is derived from the age.

plant

Three instruments from Christian Zell's harpsichord have survived: A two-manual harpsichord from 1728 is in the Museum für Kunst und Gewerbe Hamburg . It has a keyboard range of F 1 –d 3 and three registers (8 ′, 8 ′, 4 ′) with lute lines and is completely preserved except for the jumpers and strings. This magnificent instrument made Zell world famous. The lower keys are covered with ivory and the upper keys with tortoiseshell . The Hamburg Museum acquired the harpsichord in 1962 and had it restored by Martin Skowroneck in 1972 . Compared to the original condition, somewhat thinner strings were chosen and tuned a semitone lower in order not to endanger the old case. Characteristic is the long lasting tone and a colored sound characteristic that is different in the different positions. The harpsichord was often used for recordings of baroque harpsichord music and is still used today as a model for many harpsichord makers. Tori Amos played on a replica of this instrument in her albums Boys for Pele and Dew Drop Inn Tour .

An instrument from 1737 with a manual (C – d 3 ; 8 ′, 8 ′, 4 ′, lute slide) has been in the Museu de la música in Barcelona since 1943 . In 1934 the restorer Francisco Soler repaired the harpsichord, and in the 1980s it was restored by Joan Martí. The case is made of pine and maple wood. The lower keys are veneered with boxwood , the upper keys with ebony .

A third cell harpsichord with an original frame belongs to the East Frisian landscape and can be viewed in the Organeum in Weener . This instrument (C – d 3 ; 8 ′, 8 ′, 4 ′, lute train) is considered one of the best preserved harpsichords of the high baroque. The single-manual instrument was built in 1741 for the last East Frisian prince Carl Edzard . After he died in 1744, the plant remained unchanged in Aurich for 220 years . The harpsichord was soon painted blue on the outside and red on the inside, as can be seen from an Aurich sales advertisement from 1749, which describes the current color version : “Painted blue, also finely gilded on the bars, slopes and hooks, but painted red on the inside . ”A colored version with a winter landscape and ice-skaters, which can only be seen in silhouette, is probably original, but according to experts it could not be reconstructed. 1964–1965 was carefully restored by Klaus Ahrend. The soundboard could remain in its original state and has never been removed. The jumpers, jumpers bars, tuning pegs, buttons and register mechanics are also original. The jumpers of the 4-foot register are attached between both 8-foot registers. It is unusual that the soundboard on this instrument is lacquered. It is speculated that Zell may have had the harsh climate of East Friesland in mind. The instrument is characterized by an intense sound with an exceptionally long response. The great craftsmanship is evident in the double-curved side wall with its dovetail connections fixed by small wedges and in a newly developed key guide with funnel-shaped holes that prevent the key from being moved in relation to the jumper.

Zell's works are known for their sound and their rich decoration with lacquered chinoiseries in the Hamburg style. The characteristic “blooming” sound is dark and powerful in the bass, brilliant and short in the treble, colorful and somewhat less powerful in the middle register.

literature

  • Donald H. Boalch: Makers of the Harpsichord and Clavichord 1440-1840. 3. Edition. Clarendon Press, Oxford 1995, ISBN 0-19-318429-X , pp. 61, 212.
  • Armin Conradt: Hamburg musical instruments of the 18th century with lacquer painting. In: Yearbook of the Hamburg Art Collections. Vol. 9, 1964, pp. 30-35.
  • Winfried Dahlke : French suites and sonatas by Marais, Leclair, Boismortier and Philidor (CD booklet). Lunaris CD, B0030ZIJAK, 2010.
  • Dieter Krickeberg, Horst Rase: Contributions to the knowledge of the Central and North German harpsichord construction around 1700. In: Friedemann Hellwig (Ed.): Studia organologica. Schneider, Tutzing 1987, ISBN 3-7952-0486-0 , pp. 285-310.
  • Alexander Pilipczuk: Zell [cell], Christian. In: L. Macy (Ed.): Grove Music Online ( online ) - paid online version of the 2001 edition.
  • Martin Skowroneck : Christian Zell's harpsichord, Hamburg 1728, and its restoration. In: Organ Yearbook. Vol. 5, 1974, pp. 79-87.
  • Harald Vogel : Christian Zell's harpsichord from the possession of the East Frisian landscape. In: Ostfriesland. Magazine for culture, economy and transport. No. 2, 1978, pp. 27-29.

Web links

Commons : Christian Zell  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Stef Tuinstra : Georg Böhm , pp. 94–95, booklet for the complete CD recording (PDF file; 7.2 MB), accessed on February 15, 2017.
  2. ↑ Museum für Kunst und Gewerbe Hamburg: Two-manual harpsichord , accessed on February 15, 2017.
  3. ↑ Stef Tuinstra: Georg Böhm , p. 95, booklet for the complete CD recording (PDF file; 7.2 MB), accessed on February 15, 2017.
  4. ↑ Winfried Dahlke : Organeum. Organ Academy Ostfriesland . Isensee, Oldenburg 2016, ISBN 978-3-7308-1320-1 , p. 35 .
  5. ^ A b Winfried Dahlke in the CD booklet of French Suites and Sonatas by Marais, Leclair, Boismortier and Philidor. 2010, Lunaris CD, B0030ZIJAK.
  6. ↑ Harald Vogel: Christian Zell's harpsichord from the possession of the East Frisian landscape. In: Ostfriesland. Magazine for culture, economy and transport. No. 2, 1978, p. 27 f.
  7. ↑ Harald Vogel: Christian Zell's harpsichord from the possession of the East Frisian landscape. In: Ostfriesland. Magazine for culture, economy and transport. No. 2, 1978, p. 29.
personal data
SURNAME Zell, Christian
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Cell, Christian
BRIEF DESCRIPTION German harpsichord maker
DATE OF BIRTH around 1683
PLACE OF BIRTH Hamburg
DATE OF DEATH April 13, 1763
Place of death Hamburg