Antoine Vater

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

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

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 for the whole of 1738.[1][2]

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 Ireland.[3]

See also

References

  1. ↑ A short essay by Tom Ó Drisceoil on Antoine Vater on the Webpage of The Cork Early Music Festival
  2. ↑ Kipnis I, The Harpsichord and Clavichord: an encyclopedia, 2013, Routledge, p500
  3. ↑ A short essay by Tom Ó Drisceoil on Antoine Vater on the Webpage of The Cork Early Music Festival
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