Franz Jakob Späth

Franz Jakob Späth (or Spath;[a] c. 1714 – 23 July 1786) was a German keyboard instrument builder.

[4]: 80  Ernst Ludwig Gerber reported that the instrument had 30 tone variations, which increased to 50 in 1770.

[6] In 1774, Späth established a piano building firm with his son-in-law Christoph Friedrich Schmahl (1739–1814), who came from a family of organ builders.

The firm was inherited by Schmahl's son, Christian Carl, but was dissolved after his death.

[1]: 151  He referred to the mechanism as Tangirung and the instrument as Pandaleons Forte-pianos, Pianoforteinstrumente in Flügelform, clavecin d'amour, owing to its expressiveness and dynamic range, or simply Clavier.

On 10 September 1765, an advertisement for Späth's instruments with the combined fortepiano and harpsichord actions appeared on the Leipziger Zeitung.

[15] In 1777, Mozart wrote to his father that Späth's fortepianos were his favorite, before he was introduced to Stein's.

[3]: 387  Carl Ludwig Junker [fr] reported that Beethoven refused to play on an instrument made by Späth.