Research

Restoration and the building of copies of historic keyboard instruments are for me strongly connected with organological research into the original instruments.

For twenty years I have been studying the instruments by Bartolomeo Cristofori, especially his invention – the hammer action. During the last years I also began to study the action in Gottfried Silbermann's pianos. In 2017 I began studiying the fascinating square pianos by Johann Gottlob Wagner called Clavecin Royal.

I have scanned my published articles to make them available in pdf format for download.

PUBLICATIONS

KERSTIN SCHWARZ, Dall'Ostdeutschland con Amore. La copia del Cristofori 1726, Informazione Organistica no. 46, Anno XXXI n.2, Pistoia 2021, pag. 178 - 180
view or download pdf

KERSTIN SCHWARZ, The Clavecin Roïal and the first copy in modern times, Harpsichord & Fortepiano, Autumn 2020, Vol. 25, no. 1, page 11 - 14
view or download pdf

KERSTIN SCHWARZ, The building of a clavecin royal. The Galpin Society Newsletter no. 55, Autumn 2019
view or download pdf

KERSTIN SCHWARZ, The pianos of Bartolomeo Cristofori and Gottfried Silbermann: different instruments with the same hammer action. Il cembalo a martelli da Bartolomeo Cristofori a Giovanni Ferrini. Atti del convegno internazionale di organologia in ricordo di Luigi Ferdinando Tagliavini Bologna, 21-22 ottobre 2017. Edizioni Pendragon. Bologna 2019
view or download pdf

KERSTIN SCHWARZ, The restoration of the square piano by Johannes Zumpe & Gabriel Buntebart, London 1776, Museu de la Música Barcelona, Museu de la Música Barcelona.Documenta Universitaria. Girona 2018, p.174-231

KERSTIN SCHWARZ, Die Hammerflügel Bartolomeo Cristoforis und Gottfried Silbermanns - zwei verschiedene Klangwelten trotz gleicher Mechanik. Zur Entwicklung des Klavierspiels von Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach bis Clara Schumann. Michaelsteiner Konferenzberichte, Augsburg 2017, S. 177-196
view or download pdf

KERSTIN SCHWARZ, Strumenti musicali: restauro o copia? Musica e crisi sonora. Atti dei convegni Internazionali di Studi. Quaderni della rivista italiana di musicologia. Olschki editore, Firenze 2004, p. 89-95
view or download pdf

KERSTIN SCHWARZ, Historische Hammerflügel mit Cristofori-Mechanik. Anmerkungen zu Konstruktion und Klang, Instruments à claviers - expressivité et flexibilité sonore. Actes des Rencontres Internationales harmonique, Lausanne 2002, p. 33-42
view or download pdf

KERSTIN SCHWARZ, The late Cristofori. Creativity with a common base. Matière et Musique. Labo 19. Antwerpen 2000, p. 63-87
view or download pdf

KERSTIN SCHWARZ und TONY CHINNERY, The creation of a new instrument. The ‘oval spinet’ from a builder’s perspective, Bartolomeo Cristofori - La spinetta ovale del 1690, Ministero per i beni e le attività culturali, Soprindendenza speciale per il polo museale fiorentino, Sillabe 2002, p. 44-61
view or download pdf

KERSTIN SCHWARZ, Bartolomeo Cristofori. Hammerfügel und Cembali im Vergleich, Scripta Artium No.2, Universität Leipzig, Leipzig 2000/ 2002
view or download pdf

KERSTIN SCHWARZ, Vier erhaltene Hammerflügel der Gebrüder Johann Gottfried und Johann Wilhelm Gräbner und ihre Rolle in der deutschen Klavierbaugeschichte Ende des 18. Jahrhunderts. Michaelsteiner Konferenzberichte, Band 50, Michaelstein 1996, p. 88-110
view or download pdf

LECTURES

"La spinetta ovale e il clavicembalo d'ebano. Due strumenti di Bartolomeo Cristofori per il Gran Principe Ferdinando de’Medici" Lecture on the 15th of May 2023 in the Galleria dell'Accademia in Florence

"Il clavicembalo Longman & Broderip/ Thomas Culliford, no. 463, del 1785, un clavicembalo con possibilità dinamiche" Lecture on the 22nd of May 2023 in the Galleria dell'Accademia in Florence

"The Pianos by Bartolomeo Cristofori and Gottfried Silbermann. The earliest pianos in history." Lecture during the Masterclass with Carole Cerasi and Lean-Luc Ho at Royaumont abbey (Paris) on 23rd october 2019

"Die Erfindung des Klaviers" Lecture during the festival Flügelschläge on the 10th November 2018 at the church Bühlkirche in Zurich.

„Gli strumenti di Bartolomeo Cristofori – invenzioni di un genio“ Lecture during the Europiano conference on the 21st May 2018 (Conference of the Union of European Piano Tuners and Technicians Associations, Val di Fiemme 20th to 24th May)

"I pianoforti di Bartolomeo Cristofori e Gottfried Silbermann - La stessa meccanica a martelletti - Due strumenti diversi - Due suoni diversi" Lecture during the international conference Il cembalo a martelli: da Bartolomeo Cristofori a Giovanni Ferrini from 21st to 22nd of October 2017 in the San Colombano museum in Bologna

"Antichi Strumenti a tastiera: una grande varietà di forme, materiali e suoni" Lecture on the 15th of October 2016 in the museum San Colombano in Bologna

"The construction of Early string keyboard instruments", Lecture during the Trainig school (organology), organized by E-COST in the Rijksmuseum Amsterdam on 14th April 2016

"Durch Nachbau altem Klang auf der Spur", paper in occasion of the conference about the restoration of historic pianos Klaviersymposiums from 15th to 16th February 2016 at the museum Städtisches Museum in Brunswick

„L'invenzione del pianoforte in Italia e Germania - Bartolomeo Cristofori (1655 - 1732) e Gottfried Silbermann (1683 – 1753), Conservatorio Profesional de Música de Valencia, February 2015

„The pianos by Bartolomeo Cristofori und Gottfried Silbermann – Two different worlds of sound produced by the same hammer action“ Rencontres harmoniques Lausanne/ Genève, November 2014, English
view or download pdf

„I pianoforti di Gottfried Silbermanns, strumenti amati da Federico il Grande, re di Prussia (1712 – 1786)“ Conservatorio di Musica Milano, April 2014, Italian
view or download pdf

„Die Erfindung der Hammerklaviermechanik durch Bartolomeo Cristofori und dessen Einfluss auf Gottfried Silbermann“, Musikhochschule Augsburg, November 2013

„Die Hammerflügel Bartolomeo Cristoforis und Gottfried Silbermanns – Zwei verschiedene Klangwelten mit der gleichen Mechanik“, 32nd Musical Instrument Symposium, Kloster Michaelstein, November 2013

„Bartolomeo Cristoforis Stoßzungenmechanik in den Hammerflügeln Gottfried Silbermanns“, 20. Silbermann Festival Freiberg 2013, Paper in the clock museum Glashütte

„Bartolomeo Cristofori e la nascita del pianoforte“ Corso Internazionale di Musica Antica, Urbino, July 2013

“Bartolomeo Cristofori e Giovanni Ferrini: la nascita del pianoforte e la convivenza con il clavicembalo”, San Colombano. Collezione Tagliavini Bologna, March 2013, Italian
view or download pdf

„Cristofori and the Medici“, Clavecin en France, Conservatoire National Nizza, April 2011, English
view or download pdf