Research into Wood Types and Geographical Origin of the Harpsichord at the Museo Casa de la Bola, Mexico

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.30763/Intervencion.280.v1n27.59.2023

Keywords:

woods, harpsichord, anatomy, construction, Italy

Abstract

This article takes a deeper look at the harpsichord in the collection of the Museo Casa de la Bola, a unique example of its kind in Mexico City. Since the origin of the instrument is unknown, we first need to determine its geographic provenance. To obtain this information a thorough study was carried out to analyze, on the one hand, the structural characteristics of the harpsichord by comparing it against those referenced in the existing literature and, on the other, the microscopic anatomy of the wood by taking samples for the analysis of its cellular structures. The results show that both aspects correspond to Italian harpsichord building traditions during the Baroque period, particularly those associated with the city of Naples.

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Author Biographies

Ramsés Juárez Callejas, Programa de Maestría y Doctorado en Música, Facultad de Música, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM)

He earned a Master of Music degree from the School of Music at UNAM. He also holds a degree in harpsichord from the same institution, where he is currently pursuing a doctorate in Music Technology. Both, as a soloist and with various early music groups, he has performed in the main concert halls and cultural venues across the country. He was a grantee of the Programa Creadores Escénicos del FONCA during 2014, developing a project for the dissemination of harpsichord music. He was a speaker at the IV Latin American Congress of Musical Iconography, in 2018, and the I Encuentro Latinoamericano de Música y Tecnología, in 2021. In 2014 he ventured into harpsichord building, an activity he develops concurrently to his artistic and academic life.

Alejandra Quintanar-Isaías, Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana Unidad Iztapalapa

She is a professor-researcher at UAM and a member of the National System of Researchers (SNI). She holds a bachelor’s degree in biology from the National School of Biological Sciences of the Instituto Politécnico Nacional (IPN, National Polytechnic Institute), a master’s degree in biology from UNAM and a doctorate in Biological Sciences from UAM. She currently works in the biology department of the UAM-I. She has two lines of research: the functional anatomy of the primary and secondary xylem and phloem of plant organs and the identification of plant materials such as wood, leaves, and textiles of cultural heritage. She has published in scientific and divulgation journals focused on structural and experimental botany.

Ana Teresa Jaramillo-Pérez, Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana Unidad Iztapalapa

She is a biologist and holds a master’s degree in biology from UAM-I and works as a research professor in the biology department of the same institution. She is currently pursuing graduate studies in the PhD program in Biological and Health Sciences. She publishes in peer-reviewed and indexed journals, such as Madera y Bosques, Environmental and Experimental Botany, Revista de Ciencias Forestales, Polibotánica, and Intervención, and is a member of the Mexican Societies of Histology and of the Mexican Society of Ecology.

References

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Additional Files

Published

2023-09-30

How to Cite

Juárez Callejas, R., Quintanar-Isaías, A., & Jaramillo-Pérez, A. T. (2023). Research into Wood Types and Geographical Origin of the Harpsichord at the Museo Casa de la Bola, Mexico. Intervención, 1(27), 147–188. https://doi.org/10.30763/Intervencion.280.v1n27.59.2023

Issue

Vol. 1 No. 27 (2023): enero-junio

Section

Research article

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