Joaquim José Antunes

Who was Joaquim José Antunes?

Joaquim José Antunes was a Portuguese harpsichord maker who lived in Lisbon. Other members of his family were also harpsichord and piano makers.

Julião Antunes was the father of Joaquin José; he was a maker of string instruments for the royal chapel.

Manuel Antunes was the brother of Joaquim José and was also an instrument maker; they shared a workshop.

João Baptista Antunes, was the grandson of Manuel and became a maker of keyboard instruments.

There are four Antunes instruments still in existence. Two single manual harpsichords with disposition 8' 8' are signed by Joaquin José: one dated 1758, now in the Museu da Música, Lisbon and one dated 1785, now in the Finchcocks collection, Goudhurst, Kent. Their other existing instruments are signed only 'Antunes', probably because they were made by Manuel and Joaquin José working together. These are a grand piano, very similar to their harpsichords in design and construction with an action like that of Bartolomeo Cristofori, made in 1767, now in the National Music Museum, Vermillion, South Dakota and a harpsichord similar to the others made in 1789 in the Museu da Música, Lisbon.

The existing instruments have been readily seized upon by harpsichordists as the ideal instruments upon which to play the music of Portuguese and Spanish baroque composers such as Carlos Seixas and Manuel Blasco de Nebra. These recordings use Antunes instruments: