Research into the Wood Species and Geographical Origin of the Harpsichord at the Museo Casa de la Bola, Mexico

Intervención ISSN 2448-5934 ENERO-JUNIO 2023 JANUARY-JUNE 2023 OJS Índice / Contents Research into the Wood Species and Geographical Origin of the Harpsichord at the Museo Casa de la Bola, Mexico Research article Ir a versión en español DOI: 10.30763/Intervencion.280.v1n27.59.2023 • YEAR 14, ISSUE NO. 27: 169-188 Submitted: 30.09.2022 • Accepted: 22.02.2023 • Published: 30.09.2023 Ramsés Juárez Callejas Alejandra Quintanar-Isaías Programa de Maestría y Doctorado en Música Departamento de Biología, Facultad de Música (fam), Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana (uam), Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México Unidad Iztapalapa, Mexico (unam), Mexico orcid: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6067-1784 orcid: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9655-0274 Ana Teresa Jaramillo-Pérez Departamento de Biología, Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana (uam), Unidad Iztapalapa, Mexico | orcid: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2868-5163 Translation by Richard Addison ABSTRACT This article takes a deeper look at the harpsichord in the collection of the Museo Casa de la Bola, a unique example of its kind in Mexico City. Since the origin of the instrument is unknown, we first need to determine its geographic provenance. To obtain this information a thorough study was carried out to analyze, on the one hand, the structural characteristics of the harpsichord by comparing it against those referenced in the existing literature and, on the other, the microscopic anatomy of the wood by taking samples for the analysis of its cellular structures. The results show that both aspects correspond to Italian harpsichord building traditions during the Baroque period, particularly those associated with the city of Naples. KEYWORDS woods, harpsichord, anatomy, construction, Italy Research into the Wood Types and Geographical Origin of the Harpsichord at the Museo Casa de la Bola, Mexico CONVOCATORIA 2023 CALL FOR PAPERS 2023 169 T Intervención Research article he harpsichord kept in the Museo Casa de la Bola (Mexico City) is one of the few examples of keyboard instruments from the 17th and 18th centuries preserved in Mexico (Figures 1, 2, and 3). So far, six clavichords, two harpsichords, and one virginal are known to exist in the national territory (Mariño, 2014, p. 40). Of the two harpsichords, only one is in Mexico City: the one currently exhibited as a part of the collection at Museo Casa de la Bola, a building that was the main residence of collector Antonio Haghenbeck y de la Lama from 1942 until his death in 1991.1 Being one of only two harpsichords currently in Mexico, it is a highly valuable specimen for the study regarding building practices of musical instruments during the Baroque period. ISSN 2448-5934 ENERO-JUNIO 2023 JANUARY-JUNE 2023 OJS Índice / Contents FIGURE 1. Harpsichord of the Museo Casa de la Bola (Photograph: Ramsés Juárez, 2020; courtesy: Museo Casa de la Bola, Fundación Cultural Antonio Haghenbeck y de la Lama IAP’s collection, 2023). Antonio Haghenbeck y de la Lama (1902–1991) was heir to the fortune and real estate business of the Haghenbeck family after the death of his father. He spent his entire life devotedly collecting art pieces and antiques, many of which he acquired during his journeys across Europe. He was a man with great philanthropic and animal welfare interests, which is why he created two private assistance foundations, one for the care of animals and the elderly, and the other for the preservation of three house museums (including the Casa de la Bola Museum) open to the public. He established that, after his death, his assets would be used to maintain both foundations in operation. 1 Research into the Wood Types and Geographical Origin of the Harpsichord at the Museo Casa de la Bola, Mexico CONVOCATORIA 2023 CALL FOR PAPERS 2023 170 Research article Intervención ISSN 2448-5934 FIGURE 2. Exterior view of the mcb harpsichord ENERO-JUNIO 2023 JANUARY-JUNE 2023 (Photograph: Ramsés OJS courtesy: Museo Índice / Contents Antonio Haghenbeck Juárez, 2020; Casa de la Bola, Fundación Cultural y de la Lama IAP’s collection, 2023). FIGURE 3. Interior view of the mcb harpsichord (Photograph: Ramsés Juárez, 2020; courtesy: Museo Casa de la Bola, Fundación Cultural Antonio Haghenbeck y de la Lama IAP’s collection, 2023). Haghenbeck’s harpsichord poses several questions due to the absence of typical identifying hallmarks in harpsichords. For instance, makers of these instruments traditionally placed a visible inscription on the nameboard—the front panel above the keyboard—that would include the maker’s name as well as the place and year of its building. Occasionally, this information would be hidden on the sides of the keyboard, one of the keys, or even somewhere in its mechanism. However, no such trace has been found on the mcb harpsichord so far.2 In order to identify exactly where and when the instrument originated, we analyzed its structural and material characterisFor the purposes of this article, our object of study will be referred to as the mcb harpsichord according to the acronym of the Museo Casa de la Bola. 2 Research into the Wood Types and Geographical Origin of the Harpsichord at the Museo Casa de la Bola, Mexico CONVOCATORIA 2023 CALL FOR PAPERS 2023 171 Research article Intervención ISSN 2448-5934 ENERO-JUNIO 2023 JANUARY-JUNE 2023 OJS Índice / Contents tics. At this point, it is important to note that harpsichord building traditions that emerged in each country have been classified by its designs, structures, and materials into what is known today as national schools. The main ones are Italian, Flemish, French, English, and German (Kottick, 2003, p. 3). According to the most recent research, local traditions within the Italian school have been identified in several cities, each with its own distinctive elements, including the wood species used. The identification of wood species used in the creation of cultural heritage objects is important to help us confirm the use of local and traditional species in the periods in which they were built and, accordingly, to find out both the biocultural resources of the different periods in which the materials were selected, as well as to determine their relevance, accessibility, and even scarcity in order to be able to conserve them or correctly repair them. The inherent technological adaptation to this process is part of the history of the usage of materials and their impact on the evolution of the building of such important cultural objects as musical instruments. In order to determine the origin of this harpsichord, we reviewed its structural system, as well as the wood species used in its building. BACKGROUND The terms clavicymbalum, magno cimbalo, and clavicembalo appear in several documents from the courts of Ferrara, Modena, and Padua (Strohm, 1991; Coelho & Polk, 2016; Kottick, 2003). As for the world’s surviving harpsichords, the oldest dates to the 16th century, wi (...truncated)