028 Museu de la Música, clavicèmbal de Christian Zell

Christian Zell (or Zelle) (c. 1683An entry in the register of deaths and burials at the Jacobikirche in Hamburg states he was 79½ when he died, though there is no record of his exact birth date. – 13 April 1763) was a German

harpsichord A harpsichord ( it, clavicembalo; french: clavecin; german: Cembalo; es, clavecín; pt, cravo; nl, klavecimbel; pl, klawesyn) is a musical instrument played by means of a musical keyboard, keyboard. This activates a row of levers that turn a ...

maker. He was probably a pupil of harpsichord maker

Michael Mietke Michael Mietke (c. 1656/1671 – 1719) was a German harpsichord and harp maker. Biography He lived his entire life in Berlin and is known to have been an instrument maker there from 1695. He succeeded Christoph Werner in 1707 as official maker t ...

. The first mention of him is in 1722 in the register of citizens of

Hamburg Hamburg (, ; nds, label=Hamburg German, Low Saxon, Hamborg ), officially the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg (german: Freie und Hansestadt Hamburg; nds, label=Low Saxon, Friee un Hansestadt Hamborg),. is the List of cities in Germany by popul ...

, the city where he was to spend the rest of his life. In that year, he took over the workshop of instrument maker Carl Conrad Fleischer after marrying his widow; they had three children. There are three of his harpsichords surviving: a 1728 instrument in the

Museum für Kunst und Gewerbe Hamburg The Museum für Kunst und Gewerbe Hamburg (''Museum of Art and Design Hamburg'') is a museum of fine, applied and decorative arts in Hamburg, Germany. It is located centrally, near the Hauptbahnhof. History The museum was founded in 1874, fol ...

; a 1737 instrument in th
Museu de la Música de Barcelona
and a 1741 instrument in the Museum of the Organeum in Weener,

Lower Saxony Lower Saxony (german: Niedersachsen ; nds, Neddersassen; stq, Läichsaksen) is a German state (') in northwestern Germany. It is the second-largest state by land area, with , and fourth-largest in population (8 million in 2021) among the 16 ...

. They are noted for the richness of their decoration, with lacquered

chinoiserie (, ; loanword from French ''chinoiserie'', from ''chinois'', "Chinese"; ) is the European interpretation and imitation of Chinese and other East Asian artistic traditions, especially in the decorative arts, garden design, architecture, literatu ...

typical of Hamburg harpsichords, and most significantly, their 'matchless tone'. The harpsichord played by American singer-songwriter

Tori Amos Tori Amos (born Myra Ellen Amos; August 22, 1963) is an American singer-songwriter and pianist. She is a classically trained musician with a mezzo-soprano vocal range. Having already begun composing instrumental pieces on piano, Amos won a full ...

on her 1996 album Boys For Pele and the subsequent Dew Drop Inn Tour is a

replica A 1:1 replica is an exact copy of an object, made out of the same raw materials, whether a molecule, a work of art, or a commercial product. The term is also used for copies that closely resemble the original, without claiming to be identical. Al ...

of the 1728 Christian Zell harpsichord although without the elaborate paintings. It was made by Robert Goble & Son.

Notes and sources

* Alexander Pilipczuk: "Zell

elle ''Elle'' (stylized ''ELLE'') is a worldwide women's magazine of French origin that offers a mix of fashion and beauty content, together with culture, society and lifestyle. The title means "she" or "her" in French. ''Elle'' is considered the ...

Christian", Grove Music Online ed. L. Macy (Accessed 18 May 2007), http://www.grovemusic.com/ {{DEFAULTSORT:Zell, Christian 1683 births 1763 deaths German musical instrument makers Harpsichord makers

See also

Notes and sources