Giovanni Celestini

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Giovanni Celestini (born before 1587 ; died after 1610 ) was a Venetian harpsichord and virginal builder who was one of the leading Italian harpsichord manufacturers. His instruments were highly regarded and were still played in the late 18th century.

Giovanni Celestini's father was a barber . Back then, barbers' salons had keyboard instruments for customers to use. Instruments made by Celestinis have survived two harpsichords and six virginals dating from 1587 to 1610. Furthermore, six virginals and two clavichords are assigned to him. This is the essential part of the well-known Venetian instruments of the 16th century. Some of Celestini's instruments have an elaborate decoration. Two preserved virginals belong to the collection of the Museum für Kunst und Gewerbe Hamburg . One of the two pieces is unusual in that it is equipped with two eight registers , which could be an invention of Celestini. In Hamburg there is also a virginal from 1587, which is the oldest instrument of its kind built by Celestini.

Other Celestini instruments that still exist can be found in the Royal College of Music in London, in the Musical Instrument Museum in Brussels, in the Gemeentemuseum Den Haag , in the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna and in the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto.

literature

  • Andreas E. Beurmann : Sounding treasures. Keyboard instruments from the Beurmann collection. Museum for Art and Crafts Hamburg , Lübeck, 2000

Web links

Commons : Giovanni Celestini  - Collection of Images, Videos and Audio Files
personal data
SURNAME Celestini, Giovanni
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Venetian harpsichord and virginal maker
DATE OF BIRTH before 1587
DATE OF DEATH after 1610