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John Challis (1907–1974) was an American builder of harpsichords and clavichords, at one time the only such maker of harpsichords in the United States. His father Charles was a jeweler and watchmaker who moved his family from South Lyon, Michigan to Ypsilanti, Michigan in 1919.
The instrument included, in addition to the standard manual keyboards, an independent harpsichord operated by a pedal-board similar to an organ. No early pedal harpsichords survive. Born in South Lyon, Michigan, John Challis was American's first native-born harpsichord maker.
John Challis, who is a first-rate harpsichordist himself, was born in Ypsilanti 36 years ago, the son of a jeweler and watchmaker. While at Michigan State Normal College (where he studied...
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Mar 21, 2017 · In 1960, the organist E. Power Biggs approached the American harpsichord maker John Challis and engaged him to build a pedal harpsichord. After years of experimentation and research, Challis constructed such an instrument for the famed performer, who recorded an entire album of Bach's music on the instrument.
The work of John Challis (1907–1974) is discussed on pp92–99 of Wolfgang Zuckermann’s 1969 classic The Modern Harpsichord. Following four years of study with early music pioneer Arnold Dolmetsch, Challis returned to the United States in 1930 and established himself as the first American harpsichord maker, predating the Hubbard/Dowd ...
By the early 1950s Detroit builder John Challis and Boston builders Frank Hubbard and William Dowd reported years-long waiting lists for their instru-ments. As a result, many Americans chose to import German-made harpsichords, which were mass-produced, cheaper, and quicker to re-ceive than those made in the United States.
John Challis (1907–74) was one of the first American harpsichord and clavichord makers. He studied the techniques of harpsichord making with Arnold Dolmetsch in England. When he returned to the United States in 1930, he established a workshop in Ypsilanti, Michigan. He later moved his shop to Detroit and then to New York City.
