1547 Trasuntino Harpsichord
Key Features
- Sampled from a faithful replica of the 1547 Alessandro Trasuntino harpsichord rather than a modern generic harpsichord
- Includes Ottava Corta and Esteso Kontakt patches for historical short-octave mapping or a modern chromatic bass octave
- One-register and two-register modes recreate the instrument's pair of eight-foot registers
- Denoised and original sample modes let users choose a cleaner tone or the raw recorded library character
- Sustain and release noise controls expose the captured jack, quill, and damper mechanics
- Fixed meantone tuning at A4 = 415 Hz supports period-aware writing and early-music arrangements
Description
1547 Trasuntino Harpsichord is a Kontakt sample library from the NEMUS Project, built from recordings of a faithful replica of Alessandro Trasuntino's 1547 harpsichord. The original instrument is held silent in Bologna's Tagliavini Collection, so this library gives composers a playable version without putting the museum object at risk.
The library includes two patches for different playing needs: Ottava Corta keeps the historical Italian short-octave bass mapping, while Esteso remaps the bass chromatically for modern MIDI performance. Both patches can switch between one or two eight-foot registers, raw or lightly denoised recordings, and adjustable sustain and release noise windows for the captured jack, quill, and damper sounds.
Its fixed meantone temperament at A4 = 415 Hz makes it a better fit for Renaissance, Baroque, early-music scoring, and historically colored sound design than for generic bright keyboard parts. The full Kontakt requirement matters, but the 1.2 GB library is unusually focused: a preservation-driven harpsichord with mechanical detail, period tuning, and a documented research story behind the samples.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does 1547 Trasuntino Harpsichord work in Kontakt Player?
No. The available information says it requires the full retail version of Kontakt 7 or later, and it is not compatible with the free Kontakt Player because it is not distributed through Native Access.
What is the difference between the Ottava Corta and Esteso patches?
Ottava Corta keeps the historical Italian short-octave bass behavior, where some low MIDI keys trigger different bass notes than a modern chromatic keyboard. Esteso uses the same recorded instrument with a fully chromatic bass octave for players who want standard MIDI mapping.
Why is the library tuned to A4 = 415 Hz?
The library uses meantone temperament at A4 = 415 Hz to reflect the historical character of the instrument and project. That makes it especially useful for early-music contexts, though it may need tuning or arrangement care when layered with modern A440 instruments.
