Harpsichord

Every instrument made in the Casiglia workshop is the result of the profound knowledge and supervision of master Ugo Casiglia, combined with the daily commitment of his son Claudio and all the external collaborators, consisting of competent and passionate people. With more than 35 years of experience in the sector, our workshop has always stood out for the extreme quality of its instruments, attention to detail and dedication in all phases of production. All historical instruments made by us have all the characteristics universally recognised as the most correct and appropriate for a professional, historically informed performance: rich and expressive sound, balanced and supple to the touch, along the entire extension of the keyboard. These characteristics are achieved through work that takes into consideration many different but equally important aspects: The main element for a quality instrument is the wood used. We have always used only the best quality woods such as spruce from Val di Fiemme, Canadian maple, and national walnut. All woods are kept in a storage facility for a period of 7 to 12 years of seasoning. Only with long seasoning processes is it possible to obtain a sturdy and tuning-stable instrument.

The glues we use are those of animal origin that are completely natural and environmentally friendly. Known as ‘hide glue’, animal glue performs a very important structural function for the instrument, holding all the pieces together by making them talk to each other. It is the only glue that allows perfect anchorage over time, allowing the sound to be transmitted throughout the sound box of the instrument. The often used modern glues (Titebond, Vinavil, Seccotin..) act as a plastic insulator for the wood by interrupting all the sound waves produced by the vibration of the strings and the soundboard. These glues allow for quick and easy processing times, but the quality and durability are unreliable. The soundboard has the advantage of being able to retain all the richness of the vibrations generated by the strings, gradually converting it into sound radiation that efficiently propagates in the surrounding air. The soundboard is a very complex component and constitutes the soul of the instrument, built from the finest spruce from Val di Fiemme. It consists of boards of varying thicknesses from 2 to 4 mm and widths from 8 to 12 cm glued together side by side to form a thin membrane that is both rigid and light at the same time. On the underside of the board, chains are glued perpendicularly to the grain of the soundboard, giving it greater strength.