Specken, Philipp Jacob
- Style: clavichord
- Serial no:
- Inv.no: N33932
- Place: Stockholm
- Date: 1741
- Compass: C—d3
- Dimensions: 1427 x 404 x 135
The keyboard layout has been made for a tuning in quarter-comma meantone.
For a discussion of this choice see Clavichord International Vol.10 No.1 May 2006, pp. 17-20: HansErik Svensson, Comments on the tuning of some fretted clavichords in the Stockholm Music Museum.
This clavichord is fretted. which means that all sharps use the same string pair as a neighbouring natural. The distance between the keys defines the semitone and when the semitones are known they show the intended temperament. In this case the clavichord is built to be tuned in quarter-comma meantone. The pure thirds in meantone means that a diatonic semitone is much larger than a chromatic one, so D-Eb is wider than D-D# and Eb is higher than D#. Specken´s choice is Eb, but in the treble the key is positioned between eb1/d#1 and eb2/d#2. The tangent of these keys could be tilted either towards the left or towards the right, thus giving the possibility to choose between either of them. An octave below eb1/d#1 the difference of the semitone distances is too large for this option. Eb is more reasonable in the bass than D#, but in the treble a choice could be more attractive, even with an octave out of tune.
