The funeral of the harpsichord maker Klaus Ahrend took place yesterday in the church of Hinte. Klaus had been seriously ill for several years and he died peacefully in his workshop of June 6, 2016, surrounded by his family. 

Trained as a carpenter and organ maker, Klaus established himself as a maker of very fine harpsichords in 1960, as one of the pioneers of historical harpsichord making in Germany. A condition of his spine made it difficult for him to build larger instruments from sometime in the seventies onward, and he subsequently concentrated much of his efforts to not let this illness impair the quality of his life. This included a fierce schedule of keeping mobile through hiking, gardening, and even riding a motorbike (I remember meeting up with Klaus and Eta, his wife, in the Provence one year...on their motorbike); he also kept bees and chickens at various times, and he and Eta maintained a prodigious circle of friends.
Klaus had a strikingly positive and philosophical outlook on almost anything; he was a marvellous friend who always had interesting views to share -- a truly amazing person who touched everyone he met and talked to. I talked to him on the phone last week, and while he was very weak, his humor still had not left him.

The funeral service was very beautiful. My thoughts are with his wife, children and grandchildren.

Tilman

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