Antoine Vater

Antoine Vater (Hanover 1689 - Paris 1759) (also Anton Vater) was a notable harpsichord maker in Paris of German origin.

Harpsichord dated 1732, by Antoine Vater, now at the Musée de la Musique in Paris

Biography

Vater was born to family of harpsichord- and organ builders. While his older brother Christian Vater took over the family workshop in Hanover, Anton emigrated to Paris in 1715 to practice his family’s profession and gained a reputation as one of the finest harpsichord makers in the city, eventually becoming a Guardian of the Royal Harpsichords, charged with maintaining the large collection at Versailles. He had several apprentices, the most notable being another German émigré to Paris, Henri Hemsch. Vater was a friend of German composer Georg Philipp Telemann who stayed with Vater at his house in Paris during 1737 and 1738.[1][2] A notice given in the Mercure de France of July 1759 states that Vater was withdrawing from his trade, and had a number of harpsichords for sale, including some by Ruckers[3].

Surviving instruments

Three instruments by Vater are known to survive today: one (dated 1732) is at the Cité de la Musique in Paris, another (dated 1737) is in a private collection in England, and a third (dated 1738) is in a private collection in Ireland.[4][5] An instrument at the Ringve Museum attributed to Ant. Watters [6] is unlikely to be by Vater.

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See also

Further reading

References
  1. A short essay by Tom Ó Drisceoil on Antoine Vater on the Webpage of the East Cork Early Music Festival
  2. Kipnis I, The Harpsichord and Clavichord: an encyclopedia, 2013, Routledge, p500
  3. Mercure de France, July 1759, vol.1, p.211.
  4. Boalch, Donald H.: Makers of the Harpsichord and Clavichord 1440-1840, Third Edition (Oxford University Press, 1995), pp.869-870
  5. A short essay by Tom Ó Drisceoil on Antoine Vater on the Webpage of the East Cork Early Music Festival
  6. Images and description of a harpsichord at the Ringve Museum sometimes attributed to Vater
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