The Ruckers harpsichord
This exquisite harpsichord was crafted in Anvers by Johannes Ruckers (the Younger) and dates from 1632. In its original state, it had a single 45-key manual, two registers, and two sets of strings. Today, it is part of the MahN collection. As well as giving the period instrument its own room, the Museum hosts regular live concerts that showcase its musical qualities.
In 1745 the Ruckers harpsichord underwent a grand ravalement, most likely in Paris. By the end of this extensive modernisation process, the instrument had acquired two 58-key manuals and three sets of strings. Both the base and the decorative depictions of Jean de La Fontaine's fables, which are painted on a goldleaf ground, also date from 1745. The paintings on the inside of the lid and part of the soundboard are original (1632). According to the previous owners, the instrument once belonged to Marie-Antoinette, Queen of France, who gave it to Mademoiselle de Trémauville, one of her ladies-in-waiting and fiancée of Lieutenant Georges de Montmollin, who died in Paris on 10 August 1792 during the storming of the Tuileries.
In 1884, a Neuchâtel family donated the historical instrument to the Museum. Thanks to the generosity of the Neuchâtel Rotary Club, it was restored by the Paris-based Ateliers von Nagel in 1986. Since then, the Ruckers harpsichord is played during public concerts which the Museum organises on a regular basis. Some of these performances are also recorded on CD.
2025 ANNUAL PROGRAM
Marathon Scarlatti : les interprètes
Clavecin :
Adalgisa Badano, Franjo Bilic, Violaine Cochard, Eva Dolinsek, Dorota Cybulska-Amsler, Jean Luc Demand, Lionel Desmeules, Anne-Marie Dragosits, Krzysztof Garstka , Rossella Giannetti, Aya Hamada, Aapo Häkkinen, Alex von Heissen, Davor Krkljus, Carmen Leoni, Beatrice Martin, Jovanka Marville, Ene Nael, Daniela Numico, Giulia Nuti, Adrien Pièce, Alessandro Urbano, Catalina Vicens, Jean Rondeau, Andrés Gomez-Rueda, Patricia Robaina, Olga Schadrina-Lychak, Avinoam Shalev, Lilianna Stawarz, Elena Zhukova.
Autres instruments :
Maria Christina Cleary, Hanna Borka, Angelina Sanfourche : harpes historiques
Lorelei Coker : harpe moderne
Luigi Attademo : guitare
Julia Zimina : mandolines historiques
Le chat del Signore Scarlatti
Scarlatti par le menu à Neuchâtel
L'écho des pavanes. Émission de la RTS, diffusée le samedi 3 juin 2023
The Department of Applied Arts produces up to two Ruckers harpsichord recordings every year. This period instrument is much admired by musicians from around the world due to its exceptional timbre and remarkable condition.
CD recordings of Ruckers harpsichord performances are on sale in the Museum shop.
- Francesco CORTI, Suites for Harpsichord by Louis Couperin, Genuin Musikproduktion Leipzig, 2007
- Tomoko MATSUOKA, Domenico Scarlatti. 16 sonatas, Genuin Musikproduktion Leipzig, 2008
- William DONGOIS, Style fantastique. 6 sonatas op. 3 (1660) by G. Pandolfi-Mealli, Carpe Diem Records, 2010
- Soeur Marie du Sacré Coeur, J.S. Bach. Variations Goldberg, Béatitudes Musique, 2010
- Christophe ROUSSET, Bach Fantasy, Aparté, 2010
- Alina ROTARU, Froberger. Suites & Toccatas, Carpe Diem Records, 2012
- Marinette EXTERMANN, Johann Sebastian Bach. Variations Goldberg BWV 988, Tamos, 2014
- Rebecca MAURER, En sol — Musique pour le Roi-Soleil, Genuin Musikproduktion Leipzig, 2015
- Helga VARADI, Bartok et Baroque, Claves Records, 2017
- Aya HAMADA, Bach. ClavierÜbung II, Chaconne, Evidence Classics, 2021
- Fabio Antonio FALCONE. The Art of Variation. Jan Pieterszoon Sweelinck. Secular Cycles, Challenge Classics, 2023
Christophe ROUSSET, Bach Fantasy, Aparté, 2010
Francesco CORTI, Suites for Harpsichord by Louis Couperin, Genuin Musikproduktion Leipzig, 2007
Tomoko MATSUOKA, Domenico Scarlatti. 16 sonatas, Genuin Musikproduktion Leipzig, 2008
Helga VARADI, Bartok et Baroque, Claves Records, 2017