Späth Franz Jacob (called also: Frantz Jacob Spath), *1714 Regensburg, †23 July 1786 Regensburg, German builder of keyboard instruments. He was son of organ builder Johann Jacob (1672–1760), in whose workshop he presumably trained. Initially, he repaired and built organs in Regensburg, including a two-manual instrument with 18 stops and a pedal for the Protestant Church of St. Oswald [Oswaldkirche] (1750, largely preserved in its original condition) and for the Holy Trinity Church [Dreieinigheitskirche] (1758, only the case preserved). Later, he devoted himself to the production of clavichords, harpsichords and, in particular, fortepianos (Hammerflügel); alongside with Ch.E. Friederici, he was one of the first manufacturers of these instruments in Germany. He was most famous for his tangent pianos (Tangentenflügel). According to E.L. Gerber (1814), he was already building them in 1751, although he cannot be considered the inventor of the tangent mechanism, and the term itself was not introduced into use around 1790. Only a few examples of his instrument have survived – in Berlin, Halle, Leipzig, and Vermillion. In 1749–1750, J.A. Stein, who had previously worked for J.A. Silbermann in Strasbourg, apprenticed with him. In 1772, Späth married his eldest daughter to Ch.F. Schmahl, who two years later became his partner in the company Späth & Schmahl. Späth’s pianos were highly regarded by his contemporaries, and their merits were praised by N. Forkel (1781), D. Schubart (1806) and W.A. Mozart, who mentioned in a letter to his father (Augsburg 1777) that before he got to know J.A. Stein’s instruments, his favourite was the “spättischen Klavier.” The young Beethoven also played on Späth’s piano until he replaced it with an instrument by Stein. Like other piano manufacturers of the time, Späth experimented extensively, building two-manual instruments, combining the harpsichord with the piano, and in 1770 he constructed a two-manual Clavecin d’Amour with multiple stops. He is considered one of the earliest piano manufacturers with a supra-regional reach, which was facilitated by Regensburg’s convenient location, allowing for wider distribution. His name was the first among piano builders to appear in the Viennese press, which allows him to be considered one of the earliest suppliers of instruments to that market. Several of his grand, square and tangent pianos from 1784–1801 (half of which are unsigned) have survived in Berlin, Erlangen, Halle, Leipzig, Bad Krozingen, Ann Arbor and Vermillion.
Literature: H. Herrmann Die Regensburger Klavierbauer Späth und Schmahl und ihr Tangentenflügel, Erlangen 1928; Die Klangwelt Mozarts, ed. G. Stradner, Vienna 1991; S. Rampe Mozarts Claviermusik – Klangwelt und Aufführungspraxis, Kassel 1995, 2nd version 2006; R. Maunder Keyboard instruments in eighteenth-century Vienna, Oxford 1998; H. Henkel Lexikon deutscher Klavierbauer, Frankfurt am Main 2000; M. Latchmam Formy mieszane klawesynu i fortepianu w XVIII w., translation. A. Knast, M. Niewiadomska, “Muzyka” 2002 no. 2; M. Latchmam Franz Jacob Späth and the Tangentenflügel, an Eighteenth-Century Tradition, “The Galpin Society Journal” LVII, 2004; G.P. di Stefano The Tangentenflügel and Other Pianos with Non-Pivoting Hammers, “The Galpin Society Journal” LXI, 2008; J. Koster Among Mozart’s spättischen Clavier: a Pandaleon-Clavecin by Frantz Jacob Späth, Regensburg, 1767?, “Early Keyboard Journal” XXV/XXVI, 2010; E. Kraus Regensburger Orgeln – Das Bild einer städtischen Orgellandschaft, Regensburg 2016; E. Tremmel Neues Licht auf die „spättischen Clavier,” “Greifenberger Beiträge zur Musikwissenschaft,” https://www.greifenberger-institut.de/fr/musikwissenschaft/spaet-mozart.php; M. Latcham Towards a New History of the Piano: A Context for the Work of Johann Andreas Stein as a Piano Maker. Munich–Salzburg 2019; M.U. Topp “Durch Jesu Gnadentrieb soll meine Orgel klingen.” Die Späth-Orgeln in der St. Oswaldkirche und Dreieinigkeitskirche Regensburg, doctoral dissertation, Regensburg 2023, https://epub.uni-regensburg.de/77631/1/Topp_Diss_Spaeth_Orgeln.pdf; Spath, Franz Jacob, “Boalch-Mould Online,” https://boalch.org/instruments/makers.
