List, I'm forwarding this for a technician in New Orleans in the hopes that some of you who are involved with historical instruments and/or tunings can give him some help. I deleted the original post but the information below will give you an idea of what he has and wants to know. I'm sure he would appreciate any help. No, I don't know why he doesn't just subscribe to the list himself. I mentioned it to him in my original message. Avery ***************************************************************************** >From: 103410.3316@CompuServe.COM (Kenneth P. Eschete) >To: ATodd@UH.EDU (Avery Todd) >CC: >Subj: RE: 1814 Clementi Grand - Concert > >Dear Avery, >Sorry it took so long to get back to you concerning your offer to help. I am >interested in getting advise from other technicians who have experience with >tuning for concerts using historical instruments. This 1814 Clementi grand was >part of the collection at the Metropolitan Museum of Art until last summer. >The instrument had been restored (read " re-manufactured" ) at the Chickering >factory in 1909, under the direction of Arnold Dolmetsch. The resulting >instrument had steel strings and felt hammers which changed the sound and >action so much that it no longer represented an example of the early 19th C. >piano. The museum could have reversed this work except for the fact that >Dolmetsch's work was historically important, even if it was misguided. The >instrument was" neither fish nor fowel", so they sold it. > >The new owner sent the instrument to us for restoration with instructions to >reverse Dolmetsch's improvements if they were changing the action or the sound >of the instrument. Our conservation treatment involved calculating a new >>string scale using Rose wire, and making a set of leather covered >hammers. >The results are quite pleasing, and we will be hearing the instrument played in >recital next week at Tulane University. > >I would appreciate any advise concerning the best way to demonstrate the >differences between this piano and the modern piano. > >Sincerely, > >Ken Eschete > >__________________________ >Ken Eschete,Inc >3125 Magazine St. >New Orleans, La 70115 _____________________________________ Avery Todd, RPT Moores School of Music University of Houston Houston, TX 77204-4893 713-743-3226 atodd@uh.edu _____________________________________
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