Zumpe

Biography

Zumpe made an attempt in 1776 to simplify the complicated Cristofori piano action, an effort the author states cannot be considered a success. According to the text, Zumpe seems to have been motivated mainly by a desire to produce an action of lower cost than the Cristofori design, rather than by a genuine technical improvement. His attempt is contrasted with that of Americus Backers, made the same year, which succeeded in combining simplicity with the Cristofori action's strengths. Zumpe was one of the so-called '12 apostles'—German piano makers, nearly all pupils of Silbermann—who emigrated to London around 1760 and became pioneers of the English piano industry, later appearing in the London city directory as a pianoforte maker.

Highlights

• Attempted in 1776 to simplify the Cristofori action, an effort the author judges unsuccessful
• Appears to have aimed at producing a less costly action rather than a technical improvement
• One of the '12 apostles' who emigrated from Silbermann's Saxony workshops to London around 1760

Source

Alfred Dolge, Pianos and Their Makers, Vol. I (1911), p. 87.

Public domain.