Friedrich Ernst und das Trasuntino-Cembalo Eine Restaurierungsgeschichte

Abstract

Friedrich Ernst and the Trasuntino harpsichord. A restoration history
The restorer Friedrich Ernst (1897–1976) deserves to be recognized as holding a prominent place in his field for collecting data on historic instruments and his documentation of restoration work executed as a restorer at the Berlin Museum of Musical Instruments (1948–1962). A case in point is the harpsichord by Trasuntino (Venice 1560, cat. no. 806) which had undergone several interventions and was restored by Ernst in 1955 through 1957. It is shown how Ernst approached complex restoration tasks and to which extent the instrument’s history of restoration can be reconstructed with the aid of Ernst’s notes.