Harpsichord Detectives: exposing myths, hearsay and fraud in the University of Edinburgh's Musical Instrument Collection

Short copy: This presentation uses two examples from the University of Edinburgh’s Musical Instrument Collection to highlight how evidence found on and relating to musical instruments has to be interpreted carefully before we can write accurate histories.

Like all historical objects, musical instruments are thought by some people to be worth more if they were made by a famous maker or owned by a famous musician. Sometimes, hearsay and conjecture can develop into half-truths and then ‘facts’ simply by repetition. In other cases, deliberate fraud has been committed. This talk explores cases of fraudulent conduct relating to musical instrument makers, with in-depth discussions of two examples in the Musical Instrument Collection at the University of Edinburgh where everything is not as it seems. Was the harpsichord bearing the name of ‘Jacob Kirkman’, one of the top makers in London in the eighteenth century, actually made by him; and was the harpsichord made by Burkat Shudi in 1766 ever actually played by Mozart? The evidence will be put before you.

Jenny Nex is Curator of the Musical Instrument Collection and Lecturer in Musical Instruments at the University of Edinburgh. Building on her PhD relating to the business of instrument making in London between 1760 and 1820, her research interests focus on musical instruments and their social and cultural contexts, notably exploring the financial and business operations of makers through diverse archival sources. Publications include work relating to London-based firms such as Longman & Broderip and to specific types of manufacture such as the gut string making trade, as well as highlighting the roles of women in the instrument business. Following her degree in Music from the University of Edinburgh, Jenny studied singing at the Guildhall School of Music and continues to sing as much as possible, notably in the Scottish Chamber Orchestra Chorus, the choir of Old St Paul’s Church and as a soloist specialising in historically informed performance practices.