state of the industry

[Steve Pearson]

Interesting comments, and there is an analogy in the area of stringed instruments, too.  the great old violins, cellos, violas, etc. have nearly all been subjected to something akin to the 'grand ravelement' harpsichord makers performed on the old Flemish instruments.  Except for those preserved for use in period instrument groups, virtually all of the fiddles made before the  1850's have had new, redesigned bass bars (usually several), bridges (many) and have had longer, angled necks grafted to the old scrolls, longer tapered fingerboards installed, and major crack repair surgery.  They are very different from the original fiddles the once were, but they certainly work well.  Not all of them are worth all that expense, tho', and old adage holds for them as well as for pianos. "You can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear".  That is where our judgement comes in: the ever present notion of value as it relates to the money and time lavished on it, weighed against sentimental attachment, when present, or replacment with a 'new' one.  As of old, there is a community devoted to the preservation and restoration of worthy instruments.  We as technicians, are this community, and it is hoped we can always draw on our neighbors for support and advice in making these judgements.  Just my $.02 worth.
Steve

>>> Stephen Birkett <birketts@wright.aps.uoguelph.ca> 10/21 7:18 PM >>>
Wim wrote:
> ...
> historical value. For those, I would make the exception. But you've got to
> admit, there is a lot of junk out there, that should never have been made in
> the first place, that deserves a decent burial.
> 
Exactly my view too. I would draw the analogy back further - in 18th 
Century France many harpsichord builders made the bulk of their income 
from rebuilding old Flemish harpsichords, updating, enlarging, changing 
to suit current musical needs, in a process that came to be known as 
ravalement. In 1998 we have to distinguish between:
 A. old pianos that were always crappy and should be burned when past 
    redemption
 B. old pianos that were once fine instruments, not necessarily of 
    historical significance or rarity, and have the capability to be once 
    again fine pianos at cost effective rebuilding (Del's business is a 
    case in point, and "old" may not be all that old)
 C. old pianos of historical or rare value, that should be restored to 
    their original state, or left in museum settings as an historical  
    record for future study and analysis

C. is a comparatively recent phenomenon, and would have meant nothing to a
17th, 18th or 19th C. instrument builder (that was the substance of my
previous tongue-in-cheek letter). An 18th Century French ravalement is a B.
with considerable updating. Del's work is a B. Your old uprights are A. I
would put myself in C (both restoration work and the hybrid of building
such from scratch to match). 

Comments?

Stephen

Stephen Birkett Fortepianos
Authentic Reproductions of 18th and 19th Century Pianos
464 Winchester Drive
Waterloo, Ontario
Canada N2T 1K5
tel: 519-885-2228
email: birketts@wright.aps.uoguelph.ca