Hass Clavichord

This clavichord was built in Hamburg in 1743 by Heironymus Albert Hass. 

Hass and his son were considered to be the greatest German clavichord makers, and they created this type of clavichord, for which C.P. E. Bach wrote his famous 'Essay on the True Art of Playing Keyboard Instruments'.

It is a highly decorated instrument in the classical style with allegorical scenes in the cartouche on the inside of the lid featuring Apollo, Pegasus and the nine muses. 

This clavichord is one of the larger instruments of the type with 5 octaves. It has 4-foot strings which have the effect of brightening the tone of the lowest octave and a half. 

More information about the Clavichord at the Bate Collection can be found: A Clavichord By Hieronymus Hass in the Bate and how we treat our instruments by Jeremy Montagu