Henri Hemsch

Henri Hemsch (February 1700, Castenholz, Cologne, Germany — September 1769, Paris, France), also known as "Johannes Heinrich Hemsch," was a French harpsichord maker who lived and worked in Paris since 1728. Name variations: Johann Heinrich Hemsch, Johannes Heinrich Hembsch, Jean-Henri, Jean-Henry. Johann Heinrich was born in Castenholz, near Cologne, and likely grew up in Germany; however, there aren't historiographical sources covering his early days. In 1728, Hemsch moved to Paris and took a six-year apprenticeship under Antoine Vater (fl.1715—1759), a fellow German émigré from Hanover. (At the time, 28 was a very late age to pursue such a laborious and comprehensive oeuvre, and some researchers suggested Hemsch was already a trained instrument-maker, possibly in Germany, and only honed and mastered his skills under Vater.) Johann adopted a francophonic name, like many Germans did, shortening his middle name to "Henri" and occasionally going as "Jean-Henri" or "Jean-Henry." In 1734, Henri Hemsch opened his workshop on rue Quincampoix in the Sainte-Avoye neighborhood in Paris, operated with his younger brother, Guillaume Hemsch (1709—ca. 1776). The earliest surviving instrument built by Hemsch is dated 1736, a double-manual lavishly decorated harpsichord in brown and gold currently preserved in the Museum Of Fine Arts Boston collection. Other extant Hemsch instruments are also in the French style, similar to Vater models: two manuals, three-register disposition with shove coupler, and a compass of FF–e3 (rising to f3 on the 1761 model). The brothers subsequently parted ways, and Guillaume began working as an independent maker. After Henri Hemsch passed away, his nephew, Jean-Henri Moers (1754—1793), took over the original workshop. [u]Henri Hemsch instruments[/u] 1736 Harpsichord at MFABoston in Massachusetts, USA. Compass: FF–e3 1751 Harpsichord, currently owned by Frédérick Haas. Compass (estimated): FF–e3, sixty notes 1754 Harpsichord at Bayerisches Nationalmuseum in Munich, Germany. Five-octave compass 1756 Harpsichord, private owner in Caen, France 1761 Harpsichord at Cité de la Musique in Paris, France 1763 Harpsichord, based on the 1636 Andreas Ruckers model, at The Cobbe Collection in Hatchlands Park in Guilford, UK.