Flemish Harpsichords

The second major style of harpsichord was that built in Flanders, principally in the city of Antwerp in present-day Belgium, but also in cities further north in what is now the Netherlands. Flemish instruments are generally synonymous in most people's minds with the products of the Ruckers and Couchet families, who flourished in Antwerp from around 1580 until the end of the 17th century. Cases were of poplar, about 14 mm (9/16 inch) thick. The exteriors were painted in various fashions, often in imitation of marble, with block-printed papers on interior surfaces. Soundboards were decorated with paintings of birds, insects and flowers. Keyboards featured bone naturals and black oak accidentals. The strings were of iron wire, with brass used only in the bass.

Players today often have their Flemish instruments disposed with two 8' choirs, but like the Italian instruments, they normally had one 8' and one 4' until the middle of the 17th century. The 8' register was placed in front of the 4' in the gap; the resulting sound is bright and somewhat nasal. In contrast to the Italian instruments, the Flemish have a less pronounced pluck , and the tone takes longer to die away.

In spite of the fact that there were relatively few composers of the first rank in Flanders -- Sweelink is the obvious exception -- the Flemish type of harpsichord is often regarded as the most important because of the influence it had on harpsichord making all over northern Europe. Flemish instruments were regularly exported to most areas of Europe, and were even taken as far away as Peru by the Spanish. They were especially favored in 18th-century France, where they were enlarged and given new keyboards in the French style, along with a second set of 8' strings. It is these enlarged models that many people think of today as Flemish, but their sound is somewhat different from what it was originally, and really should be described as Franco-Flemish.

Flemish makers also produced large numbers of rectangular virginals, which were available in two different models. In the type known as a spinett, the keyboard is to the left, and the strings are plucked relatively close to their ends, producing a somewhat nasal sound. In the other type, known as the muselar, the keyboard is to the right, and the strings are plucked very close to their middle, producing an exotic tone that is round and rather flute-like.

source: http://www.mapleharpsichords.com/