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Werner Iten (1941-2013) was a German Swiss harpsichord-maker. He earned his PhD in Botany at the ETH Zurich in 1969. After initially moving to Waltham, MA to pursue his post-doc at Harvard Forest [|Harvard Forest], he eventually decided to change career paths and began an apprenticeship in harpsichord making with Frank Hubbard [|Frank Hubbard]. He built his first harpsichord in 1972. Once his training was completed he returned to Switzerland and established his own harpsichord workshop in Zug, where he grew up, and later to other towns in the German part of Switzerland. He built harpsichords, spinets, virginals and clavichords. Many of his instruments were fashioned after the design of Italian, Flemish and German originals, but using his own decorations such as rosettes and drawings. Examples include the famous double virginal “Mother and Child” by Ruckers (1628) as well as the harpsichord by Vincent Tibaut (1679). He combined his interest and background in botany and art in his craft, often using patterns and other imagery in the rosettes, soundboards, lids and sides. He also used a wide variety of wood in his instruments, ranging from cherry to pear to yew and even mesquite.

Werner Iten continuously studied the natural world and was fascinated by the beauty and possibilities therein. In addition to his harpsichord-making, he was also interested in capturing the natural world, and applied his scientific training and background in art and color to his interest in botany, geology, music, and photography. He was particularly drawn to the Sonoran desert in the Southwest US where he lived for several years (1989-1994) and Swiss geography. He was an active member of the Naturschutzverein in Russikon and gave regular lectures and slide-shows on the Sonoran desert.

References Frank Hubbard: Three Centuries of Harpsichord Making (Harvard University Press, 1965)

External Links http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/works-of-art/29.90