Kirkman (harpsichord maker)

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Members of the family Kirkman were English harpsichord and piano builder with Swiss and Alsatian origin. Its activity began in London in the last quarter of the 18th century . From the 19th century onwards they only made pianos instead of harpsichords until they were taken over by the Collard company in 1896.

Known members of the family

Jacob Kirkman (March 4, 1710 - June 9, 1792) was born in Bischwiller in Alsace . The family originally came from Aargau, Switzerland and later moved to Basel . His parents - Abraham Kirchmann (1673–1754) and his wife Susanna Burckhard - lived in Bischwiller when he was born. Jacob Kirkman learned the carpentry trade and went to England in the early 1730s. There he worked for the harpsichord maker Hermann Tabel and married his widow in 1738. In 1755 Kirkman obtained British citizenship. He died in Greenwich and is buried there in St. Alfege's Church .

Abraham Kirkman (1737-16 April 1794), also born in Bischwiller, was Jacob Kirkman's nephew. In 1772 he became a partner of Jacob Kirkman. He died in Hammersmith .

Joseph Kirkman I (1763-1830) was the son of Abraham Kirkman and followed his father in his trade. He eventually became its partner.

Joseph Kirkman II (1790–1877) was the son of Joseph Kirkman I. He became a piano maker and made instruments for Queen Victoria and an Infanta , the Portuguese Maria das Neves of Braganza . In 1809 he helped his father build the last Kirkman harpsichord.

Instruments

Harpsichord in the Museum of Arts and Crafts Hamburg
Square piano in the Museum of Art and Industry Hamburg

Like many London harpsichord builders, the Kirkman family began making pianos and harpsichords in the last quarter of the 18th century. The oldest surviving of his instruments is a harpsichord from 1744. Kirkman, together with Burkhardt Tschudi, dominated the production of English harpsichords in the second half of the 18th century. At the beginning of the 19th century, Kirkman switched to piano manufacturing as the harpsichord trade was declining. The youngest Kirkman harpsichord still in existence is dated to 1800. Kirkman instruments were known for their performance, especially harpsichords, and reliability. The writer Fanny Burney described Jacob Kirkman as the best harpsichord maker of all time.

Like Burkhardt Tschudi, Kirkman built three models of harpsichords. The internal structure of the Kirkman harpsichord was based on the Flemish harpsichord of the Ruckers type from the 17th century, although the English manufacturers had developed a distinctive exterior in the 1720s. It consisted of an inside and outside with detailed inlay and inlay work .

When Jacob and Abraham Kirkman became more popular in the second half of the 18th century, they made hammer pianos . Individual specimens of instruments belonging to the Kirkman family can be found in the Museum of Art and Industry in Hamburg .

literature

  • Andreas E. Beurmann : The English Harpsichords by Kirckman . In: Harpsichords and More. Hildesheim, 2012, pp. 209–210 (English).

Web links

Commons : Kirkman (harpsichord maker)  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Andreas Beurmann: Harpsichords and More . Georg Olms Verlag, Hildesheim 2012, p. 210 .