Grove's dictionary of music and musicians

184 EUCKERS RUCKERS
There is also evidence as to his having died in
that yeav, and not the father, who would seem
to have died before.
Mr. Vander Straeten has, however, brought
us nearer Hans the younger, by reference to
Sainsbury's collection of Original vm,piiblished
papers illustrative of the life of Sir Peter Pq,ul
Mubens (London, 1859, p. 208, etc.), wherein
are several letters which passed in 1638 between
the painter, "Balthazar Gerbier, at that time at
Brussels, and the private secretary of Charles I.,
Sir F. Windebank. They relate to the purchase
of a good virginal from Antwerp for the King
of England. Be it remembered that up to this
time,, and even as late as the Restoration, all
clavecins in England, long or square, were called
Virginals. [See Virginal.] Gerbier saw one
that had been made by Hans Ruckers, the
younger (' Johannes Rickarts '), for the Infanta.
He describes it as having a doul% keyboard
placed at one end, and four stops ; exactly what
we should now call a double harpsichord. There
were two paintings inside the cover, the one
nearest the player by Rubens ; the subject Cupid
and Psyche. The dealer asked £30 for it, such
instruments without paintings being priced at
£15. After some correspondence it was bought
and sent over. Arrived in London it was
found to be wanting six or seven keys, and to
be insufficient for the music, * and Gerbier was
requested to get it exchanged for one with larger
compass. Referring to the maker, Gerbier was
informed that he had not another on sale, and
that the instrument couldnot be altered. So
'
after this straightforward but rather gruff answer
Gerbier was written to not to trouble himself
further about it. Mr. Vander Straeten inquires
what has become of this jewel ? We agree with
him that the preservation of the pictures has
probably long since caused the destruction of
the instrument. With such decoration it would
hardly remain in a lumber-room. Mr. Vander
Straeten himself possessed a Jean Ruckers single
harpsichord (now in the Berlin Hochschule),
restored by M. Ch. Meerens, of which he has
given it heliotype illustration in his work. It
is a splendid specimen of Hans the younger.
(See No. 27 below).
Andries Ruckers (the elder, to distinguish him
from his son Andries), the third son of Hans,
was, as we have said, baptized in 1579, and was
a master in 1610. As a member of the confraternity
of the Holy Virgin in the cathedral
he tuned the chapel organ gratuitously in 1644.
His work, spite of Burney's impression about
the relative excellence of his larger instruments,
was held in as great esteem as that of his father
and brother. In 1671, Jean Cox, choirmaster
of the cathedral, left by will, as a precious object,
an Andr^ Ruckers clavecin. Handel, many
years after, did the same. Within the writer's
> The Hltchcocks were active in the latter hajf of the 17th century,
and early in the IStfa, making spinets in London with five QctaveR.
a—o.
recollection there have been three honoured
witnesses in London to this maker's fame, viz,
Handel's (No. 77), dated 1651, given by Messrs.
Broadwood to the Victoria and Albert Museum ;
Mr. Howard Head's (No. S5), dated 1614; and
one belonging to the late Miss Twining, a single
keyboard one (No. 74), dated 1640.^ A tradition
exists that Handel had also played upon both
the last-named instruments. We do not know
when Andries Ruckers the elder died. He was
certainly living in 1651, since that date is on
his harpsichord (Handel's) at South Kensington.
His roses are here given.
Of Andries Ruckers the younger, the information
is most meagre. Born in 1607,he probably
became a master in 1636. The Christian name
is wanting to the entry in the ledger, but as
the son of a master, the son of Andries the elder
is apparently indicated. The researches of M.
Genard have proved the birth of a daughter to
Hans the younger, but not that of a son. It
might be Christopher, could we attribute to him
a master for a father. Regarding him, however,
as living earlier, we are content to believe that
Andries the younger then became free of the
Guild ; but as his known instruments are of
late date, it is possible that he worked much
with his father. We know from a baptism in
1665 that the younger Andries had married
Catherina de Vriese, perhaps of the family of
Dirck or Thierri de Vries, a clavecin -maker
whose death is recorded in 1628. Fetis (Biog.
Univ., 2nd edit. vii. 3466) says he had seen a
fine clavecin made by AJidries the younger,
dated 1667. M. R^gibo possesses undoubted
instruments by him, and has supplied a copy
of his rose (7). He has done the same for
s This instrument formerly belonged to the BeT. Thomas Twining;
Rector of St. Mary, Colchester, who died in 1804. A learned scholar
(he translated Aristotle's Poetics) and clever musician, he enjoyed
thefriendshipofBarney and TsluedhighlyhisfaTourite harpsichord,
on which the great Handel had played. CharlesSnlaman used both
this instrument and Messrs. Broadwood's in his admirable lectures
giyen in 1855-56 in London andthe provinces.