&gna Dal Cortivo

Quarterly No, 60 July 1990

FOMRHI Quarterly
BULLETIN 60 2
Bulletin Supplement 6
Bate Collection, check list supplement 7
Membership List Supplement 20

COMMUNICATIONS

977 New Grove DoMI; E.S. no. 165 S entries E. Segerman 10

978 Review: Larigot no 7, March 1990 J . Montagu 11
979 Review: Catalogo degli Strumenti dell'Istituto della Pieta Venezia,
by M. Tiella & L. Primon J , Montagu 12
980 Review: Aulos 'Haka' descant and treble recorders A. Davis 14
981 Reviews of musical instruments A. Powell 15
982 Further to Comm 981 J , Montagu 18
983 Style decoration and tone E. Segerman 23
984 Identifying woodworm J , Rawson 24
985 Old wood D. J . Way 25
986 The archetypal harpsichord S. Yokota 28
987 On three well-proportioned alto recorders M. Brach 35

FELLOWSHIP OF MAKERS AND RESEARCHERS OF HISTORICAL INSTRUMENTS

Hon. Sec. J . Montagu, c/o Faculty of Music, St. Aldate's,

Oxford OX1 1DB, U.K.
Bull 60, p. 2

FELLOWSHIP of MAKERS and RESEARCHERS of HISTORICAL INSTRUMENTS

Bulletin 60 July, 1990

This looks like being a short Bulletin, and unless Eph has some material his end, a thin issue.
Partly the usual summer inertia (not that you'd imagine it to be summer from the weather we're
having), I suspect, and partly because the April Q went out so late. This one is a week late my
end, but last Sunday we married off a daughter, and the Sunday before we married off a son,
so I've been a bit preoccupied.

The appearance of the Bull will change a bit again with this Q. I have changed to an IBM-
compatible computer (though with the same printer). One result is that I may decide to put my
own Comms into columns, which is now very easy. I'm less likely to do that to the Bull because
it creates difficulties with cutting and pasting other people's comments. The other is that I've
been doing my nut converting all my old material, including all the Bate Collection publications.
The University Computing Service have been translating all my old Amstrad 3" discs on to
WordPerfect-readable 3.25" discs, but although most of it's readable everything is unbelievably
full of garbage; all the old LocoScript codes are there and have to be removed (many of them,
but by no means all, by Search and Replace, but it's still time-consuming), and odd bits of text
which have vanished have to be typed in again. That's been taking all my time for the last
couple of months; hence poor response to some correspondence, for which I apologise. Hence,
yet again, the absence of an NGDOMI review from me. It's not been forgotten, though.

FURTHER TO:
Re: Ardal Powell's Comm.974 on ivory.

If I expected a snippet of a personal letter to Jeremy Montagu to be printed in FoMRHI be

assured I would have had second thoughts about writing. I merely said in my letter that the ivory
I have in stock is still usable and that press coverage is biased. I object to being vilified in print
on the strength of off-the-cuff remarks in a personal letter to a colleague. Next time I write to
Jeremy I will head my letter with a large label: DO NOT PRINT IN FOMRHI. If Mr. Powell
believes that what came to be printed is in any way an expression of my full and complete thoughts
on the subject, he does me a great injustice which is excused only by his ignorance of the
circumstances.

Bob Barclay
JM adds: I owe Bob an abject apology. It has happened before, and it may happen again, but
it would help if, when any of you are remarking in a letter on anything that has appeared in the
Q, you would note whether your remarks are or are not publishable. My correspondence tends
to be inextricably intertwined between personal, FoMRHI, and Bate matters, and some letters
are inevitably a combination of any two or even all three, just as this Bulletin often is, also.

LIST OF MEMBERS: Almost as soon as I'd sent it off to Eph, I realised that I'd been a nit.
Only a few days after I'd finished it, all the London area telephone codes changed from 01- to
two different codes, 071- for those in central London, and 081- for all those round the peri-
 Bull. 60, p. 3

phery (and for some fairly central, but less fashionable, areas south of the river such as Clap-
ham). You will find all the necessary corrections in the Supplement herewith before the other
changes of new members, late renewals, and changes of address. It's just be a name followed
by 071- or 081-, which is all that you need; the rest of the phone number stays the same. What
it amounts to is that 01- has been split in half to allow for all the fax numbers which people are
setting up, especially in the office areas of the City etc. Please correct your main Lists accor-
dingly, with my apologies for the necessary labour.

OTHER SOCIETIES: The American Musical Instrument Society (AMIS) asks me to tell you that
it will hold its 20th annual meeting at Moravian College, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania from March
7th to 10th, 1991. Offers of papers by October 1st to Ralph Dudgeon, Music Department, State
University College at Cortland, Box 2000, Cortland, NY 13045. Further information from Mar-
garet Banks or Andre Larson at the Shrine to Music, Vermillion (as in our List of Members).

A recent new society is the Historic Brass Society. They nave so far istaed two Newsletters and
U:
one Journal, and their publications are absolutely first rate. The Journal includes seven major
articles, all of the first importance to brass players. The first one is by Don Smithers, 'A new
look at the evolution of lip-blown instruments from Classical Antiquity until the end of the Mid-
dle Ages'; a lot in it to argue about, as so often with Don, but also a great deal to absorb and
study. The second, by Henry Fischer, whose excellent book on Renaissance sackbuts has been
reviewed here, on the newly discovered Anton Schnitzer tenor sackbut in Nice. The third, by
Bob Barclay, is on 'Ethics in the conservation and preservation of brass instruments', an ex-
tremely important article for everyone in the conservation (and restoration) world, and for all
brass instrument owners who are thinking of having work done on their instruments. The fourth,
by Keith Polk, on 'Augustein Schubinger and the zinck'. The fifth on 'Early Horn mouthpieces'
by Richard Seraphinoff includes illustrated directions on how to make a sheet-metal mouthpiece,
as most of the early horn mouthpieces were; the tone quality of a sheet-metal mouthpiece is
quite different from one turned from a brass block. The sixth by John McCann on the decora-
tion of Venetian cometts. And the last is a translation by Jesse Rosenberg of Dalla Casa's D
Vero Modo di Diminuir, one of the most important texts on this subject. This new Journal (and
their Newsletters) are the most important new departure in our field since FoMRHI's own crea-
tion; there have been a number of other societies and journals appearing since we started in
1975, but nothing of this standard. This really is a must for everyone interested in brass instru-
ments of any sort. Their address is 148 West 23rd Street, No.2A New York, NY 10011. Sub-
scription is $15.00 in USA and Canada, $20.00 overseas, $10 for students and senior citizens
living in the USA (? maybe in Canada, too). They don't say what back issues cost (ie the Jour-
nal noted here), but subscriptions in 1989 were $10.00 and $15.00 overseas, so you might get
it for that.

REQUESTS FOR HELP: A new member, Kimber Rhoads (address in the Supplement herewith)
says that he is a neophyte recorder maker and would like to know or receive:
1) where to purchase shell augers, which he can't find anywhere in US;
2) where to obtain drawings and measurements of mediaeval and renaissance recorders;
3) published or unpublished articles by any maker or reseacher on recorders and their
construction etc;
Bull. 60, p. 4

4) assistance concerning tools, methods, pitfalls, sources of info, etc

A previous member who has rejoined, D.B.D.Mann (address also in the Supplement herewith)
has asked for advice on the restoration of a Broadwood piano c. 1815. Michael Cole has already
offered to help him at long range, but if anyone else is within reach of Shoeburyness in Essex,
he'd probably welcome a visit and chat. He is anxious to do the job properly and to acceptable
standards.

TOOLS AVAILABLE: A gentleman called Rod Naylor of Turnpike House, 208 Devizes Road,
Hilperton, Trowbridge, Wilts BA14 7QP 0225-754497 has sent me a flyer for a gadget called a
Dupli-Carver. This works on wood and other materials rather like the machines that duplicate
keys; a feeler travels over the model, and a router travels over the work. He says that people
are using them for musical instruments (violin scrolls, etc, I suspect). It doesn't look as though
it would work on bores, but it would certainly work on exteriors, especially those with blocks left
proud to take keys. No way would I let you use one of our instruments with such a machine,
but it should work as a means of making further copies once you've made the first one. It really
depends on whether you think of making instruments as a hand job done with loving care, or
whether you're happy using all the machinery and gadgets available.

COURSES: The next Bate Weekend will be October 20/21, and it will be on Renaissance Re-
corders and Flutes, with Lewis Jones and Alan Davis. Cost is the usual £20 (£15 students and
Friends of the Bate Collection). Starting at 10.30 (for coffee; 11.00 for work) on the Saturday
and 10.00 on the Sunday, finishing 6.00ish. I'm not going to say which bits will be recorders
and which flutes, for part of the interest will be on what is more suitable for which and to what
extent were they interchangeable in that period. I imagine that we'll be working mainly at A-460
and A-440, since the former is the pitch of the recorders we have, and the latter of the flute.
If anyone can bring sets of instruments at those, or other pitches, it would help us, especially
high pitch recorders, for we haven't a good tenor and I think Lewis only has one.

MUSEUM NEWS: I was going to say that by the time you read this, I shall have produced the
1990 Supplement to the Bate Collection Checklist. However, as this looks like being a short Q,
and as we've printed such lists from other museums, I might just as well get down to it now, and
include it herewith. Sometime later in the year, I'll produce a new edition of the complete
Check List, but not till we've run out of the present one, which may not be before the autumn.
If by chance it isn't elsewhere in this Q, then any of you who have the 1989 Check List (which
costs £2.00) are welcome to write for a copy. Within the UK, 50p in stamps would be welcome,
and from abroad the equivalent if you have a bank note worth about that ($1.00 approximately)
to cover photocopying and postage. If you haven't such a bank note (we don't nowadays), we
can probably afford to stand you a freebie; it's not worth the hassle of foreign-currency cheques
for so small an amount. If you have the 1988 Check List, copies of the Supplement to that are
still available, but there is a slight gap between that and the 1989 List.

The Friends of the Bate Collection held its first AGM here last month, and set up a Committee,
Officers, and so forth, and approved a Constitution. We are now waiting to hear whether the
Constitution has been approved by the Charity Commissioners so that we can recover extra
 Budl. 60, p. 5

money on members' subscriptions from the tax that they paid. New Friends are joining all the
time, and we're over 60 members now. Any of you who have been earning money by making
instruments from our plans might like to consider joining. The basic rate is £12 (couples £20);
Supporters £50; Donors £100 or more; Sponsors £250 or more; Concessions (students and pens-
ioners etc) £5.

PLANS OF INSTRUMENTS: We have been trying to produce plans for later instruments, now
that people are playing authentically well into the 19th century. The latest plans we have in the
Bate are:
Kirst 7-key flute (including Quantz Ek/Df) £10
Winnen 7-key oboe £10
Grenser 9-key Bb clarinet £10.
Fuller details available on the latest list. You'll note that, despite the fact that multi-keyed inst-
ruments take longer to draw, I've noted comments that have been made here and have kept the
price down. There are more in the pipe-line.

CONCLUSION: I think that's about it. I'll hold it open till I've done the Members List Supple-
ment and a couple of reviews and the Check List Supplement referred to above. I've done them,
and quite a few new odds and ends have come in and have been inserted above.

DEADLINE FOR NEXT Q: Monday, 1st October, please. It's the first day of term here, so
that may lead to a bit of delay, but it seems unfair to set the deadline a week early.

If you're somewhere the sun shines, I hope you enjoy it; we may be lucky yet.

Jeremy Montagu
Hon.Sec.FoMRHI
B U L L E T I N SXJ_=»F>i_E_vlE3StT E. Segerman

For many years I have been reluctantly following a policy of refraining from using my
priviledge of seeing Comms before they are published to respond to them in the same
i s s u e , I had done this previously and was roundly criticised for it by at least one author
whose Comrr. I argued against, and he was supported by Jeremy. Their view was that the
power of the author's arguments was compromised by my counter-arguments appearing
simultaneously, My view has been that manipulating people's beliefs by controlling the
timing of information given to them might be appropriate in politics, but I would want
our Q to cater for a readership that we expect wants to compare, as objectively as
possible, the power of the arguments on each side of a dispute, and timing is only
relevant by favouring the quickest way for the arguments to be presented- No-one
wrote in supporting my position, so I conceded to Jeremy and adopted the policy. As a
result, I've neglected to write short reply Comms because the heat of the argument and
the pressure to get it written no more coincided (I make no claims as to whether this has
been good or bad).

Ardal Powell's Comm in this Q slamming reviews of instruments so incensed Jeremy th=tt
he sent an extremely strong reply, knowingly violating the above policy. My first
response was to withhold Jeremy's Comm, applying the poncy he supported. But I'm too
grown up now to be so spiteful, and welcome relaxation of that policy, at least until the
membership indicates that they wart it back. Please send your views on this either to
Jeremy or me.

Now, a s Jeremy has suggested, I'll put my own aa\5 into t h e controversy. Powell hasn't
convinced me that reviewing musical instruments p r e s e r t s any basically different
problems than reviewing concerts, books, motor cars or cameras. He presents many valid
issued that could limit the usefuliness of any review to the reader. T^e reviewer never
deserves the respect of being the supreme judge that comforts the mindless meek anrj
enrages the immature rebel land often enrages the c r e a t e s of the works, for which only
a rave review shows appropriate appreciation for the effort and skill that vent into it).
The reviewer usually does as well as ne ran, though he can easily mislead because of
ignorance, madvertance, or even malice. A good review gives enough objective
information about the work for the reader to decide for himself how interested he is in
investigating it further, and it s t a t e s enough about tht criteria used for judgement for
the reader to evaluate whether he would react similarly. There is rarely enough of this
information and criteria (that can get very boring for many'-, but enough readers prefe"
having reviews that are inadequate in ma*-»y ways to not having them at all for a demand
for reviews to exist, As long as reviews only happen with the consent and cooperation
of the producers of the works, I see no moral problems. 1 al'io don't see any threat to
our reviews policy if a sizable fraction of the membership agrees with Powell. As long
as a considerable fraction of the readership wants reviews, we can have them.

On another matter, I am disappointed in Bob Barklay's sensitivity to Powell's criticism,

a s shown in his note on the first page o* the Bulletin iri trus Q. 1 am sure (hat many
readers beside myself consider his position very sensible, aivi were glad to heai of it.
The rhetoric of political activists can safely be ignored when one know? one is acting
honourably.
ifcm*

Bate Collection of Historical Instruments Supplement to the 1989 Check List. July 1990
1

Cat.no. Maker & Instrument

DUCT FLUTES

0264 anon, Peru, pottery ocarina (modem) [Edward OUeson]

0265 Casa Viiietz, tabor pipe [Dorothy Calland].
0267 The Best British, tin whistle converted to tabor pipe [Dorothy Calland].
0266 In Tune D, tin whistle [Dorothy Calland].
0276 anon, sopranlno bamboo pipe (painted black) [Dorothy Calland].
0277 anon, sopranlno bamboo pipe (painted red) [Dorothy Calland].
0274 anon, descant bamboo pipe (painted red) [Dorothy Calland].
0275 anon, descant bamboo pipe (painted g — ) [Dorothy Calland].
0270 anon, treble bamboo pipe [Dorothy Calland].
0271 anon, treble bamboo pipe (painted brown) [Dorothy Calland].
0272 anon, treble bamboo pipe (multi-coloured) [Dorothy Calland].
0273 anon, treble bamboo pipe (painted black) [Dorothy Calland].
0268 anon, tenor bamboo pipe [Dorothy Calland].
0269 anon, tenor bamboo pipe (painted green) [Dorothy Calland].
0251 anon (? Japan), descant recorder (black & white plastic) [Hunt].
0252 anon, descant recorder (stripy wood) [Hunt].
0253 anon, descant recorder (aluminium) [Hunt].
0250 Bftrenrelter, descant recorder (plastic, German fingering) [Hunt].
0231 Bames &. Mullins, treble recorder [Hunt].
0263 John Cousen, sopranlno recorder (renaissance) [John Cousen].
0233 Dolmetsch, tenor recorder, plastic [Hunt].
0254 Ferrera, sopranlno recorder [Hunt].
0232 Herwiga, descant recorder 'Hamlin' [Hunt].
0240 Herwiga, tenor recorder 'Rex' [Hunt].
0229 Herwiga, tenor recorder 'Solist' [Hunt].
0247 KOng, descant recorder (plastic) [Hunt].
0235 Nikkan, descant recorder 'Superio pipe' [Hunt].
0234 Nikkan, treble recorder 'Alto pipe superio' [Hunt].
0228 Alec Loretto, tenor recorder to match Bressan [purch].
0241 Schott, descant recorder (plastic) [Hunt].
0246 Schott, descant recorder (plastic) [Hunt].
0242 Schott, descant recorder (plastic, with kite mark) [Hunt].
0243 Schott, descant recorder (plastic, with kite mark) [Hunt].
0244 Schott, descant recorder (one-piece body/foot) [Hunt].
0236 Schott, descant recorder 'Concert' [Hunt].
0249 Schott, descant recorder 'Concert' [Hunt].
0248 Schott, descant recorder 'Concert' (German fingering) [Hunt].
0237 Schott, descant recorder 'Concert' (double holes) [Hunt].
0238 Schott, descant recorder 'Concert' (single holes) [Hunt].
0255 60 Schott, 6 descant recorder head joints [Hunt].
0245 Schott, treble recorder with key 'Concert' [Hunt].
0262 Schott, treble recorder foot joint only [Hunt].
0230 Schott, tenor recorder 'Concert' [Hunt].
026 l Schott, tenor recorder head & foot only [Hunt].
0239 Superio, descant recorder [Hunt].
 ft.

Bate Collection of Historical Instruments Supplement to the 1989 Check List, July 1990
2

Cat.no. Maker & Instrument

TRANSVERSE FLUTES

1113 VKS [Kohlert], 6-key piccolo [Bate].

1112 I.H.Powell, 1-key F flute, boxwood [Dorothy Calland].
1114 AZ.Lecompte, 6-key blackwood flute [Bate].
1111 Butler, 8-key flute, wide holes with ring-finger levers [purch].
1110 Rudall Carte, Boehm system to low Bb, no.818 (GSJ 41 p.102) [Hunt].
1115 Wallis, 8-key cocus flute, stripped [Bate].

OBOES

2041 anon, boxwood systeme 3 [Bate].

x2040 H.Richters, boxwood, 3-key [un-named until we can purchase].

CLARINETS

4090 anon, bamboo pipe converted into a clarinet [Dorothy Calland].

4055 Dobner & Felklin, 6-key C clarinet, stripped [Bate].
4054 Parker, C clarinet, 6-key boxwood [Dorothy Calland].
4056 Key, 13[?]-key Bb clarinet, stripped [Bate].

BRASS INSTRUMENTS

637 Bax a Paris, horn bell joint, painted in Chinese taste [Bate].
638 Boosey & Co, horn bell joint [Bate].
639 Lidl, horn bell joint [Bate].
706 anon, natural trumpet, twice round, in Eb (brass) [Bate].
707 anon, natural trumpet, twice round, in Eb (copper) [Bate].
705 Philip Bate, key trumpet (part made) [Bate].
704 David Edwards, key trumpet [David Edwards].
742 Hawkes [on the bell] tenor trombone, made-up [Bate].
681 Higham, cornet [Bate].
682 Keat, comet [Bate].
680 Keat, duty bugle [Bate].
679 Mayers & Harrison, duty bugle [Bate].
x657 anon, baritone saxhorn in B b [JPSM].
x676 Mahillon, 4-valve baritone in B b [JPSM].
x677 Riviere A Hawkes, baritone in B b [JPSM].
x678 Riviere & Hawkes, euphonium in Bb [JPSM].
509 B.ColdwelL serpent, closely folded [purch].

PERCUSSION ETC

x840 anon, India, jews harp [JPSM].

x841 anon, Java, jews harp [JPSM].
x842 anon, Thailand, jews harp [JPSM].
819 anon, pair 'baroque' timpani sticks [JPSM].
 Bate Collection of Historical Instruments Supplement to the 1989 Check List, July 1990
3

Cat.no. Maker & Instrument

STRING INSTRUMENTS, ETC.

x973 anon, Greece, small bouzouki [JPSM].

x972 anon, Turkey, saz [ACB].
971 Cardoso Pereira, Portuguese guitarra.
940 Roderic von Bennigsen, graphite fibre violin bow [David Stone Associates].
941 Roderic von Bennigsen, graphite fibre 'cello bow [David Stone Associates].

KEYBOARDS

969 Arnold Dolmetsch, clavichord no.l, 1894 [Dr.George Gordon],

x970 anon, portable harmonium [JPSM].

6th July 1990.

' ,
10

FoMRHI Comm. 9 7 7 Ephraim Segerman

New Grove DoMIS E.S. No. 16J S entries

Sound holes by D. D, Boyden
Boyden appreciates t h a t the soundhole acts as the opening of a Helmholtz resonator, the
frequency of which depends on the opening area and the volume of enclosed air, but
misunderstands other d e t a i l s . The frequency of the air resonance also depends on the
f l e x i b i l i t y of the belly, back and sides (the compliance of which acts as i f there was
additional hole area), and not on the thickness of the edges, as s t a t e d . He does not
mention the length of the soundhole edges, the impedance of which affects the height
and width of the resonance curve, so that long thin soundholes and perforated lute roses
give less support for the most resonant notes, but some support for more notes, when
compared t o open round holes w i t h the same hole area. As for the positioning of
soundholes, the reason for their not being very close to the edge cf the soundboard is
more aesthetic than acoustic. Their contribution to isochromcity (equalising the time
for a vibration t o tranverse the width and length of the v i o l i n ' s soundboard, and so
reducing absorption of vibrating energy) i s missed. Also missed is the association
between soundholes and cross-bars bracketting them in plucked instruments and some
early bowed ones.

Soundpost by D. D. Boyden
H i s t o r y is not mentioned? the f i r s t description was by Mersenne in 1635, and the f i r s t
appearance of the term was 40 years earlier in Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet.
Soundpost ends early in the lives of old v i o l i n s seem to have been rounded, while current
ones are cut f l u s h w i t h the belly and back across the whole end. I very much doubt
whether there is evidence to support the t r a d i t i o n a l view (repeated here) that the most
important function of the soundpost is 'to relieve the heavy downwards pressure of the
s t r i n g s and bridge on the belly'. The currently popular designs of violins (Cremona) and
viols (John Rose) were originally developed w i t h archings intended to withstand that
pressure without a soundpost. Immobilisation of one of the bridge feet is rightly
mentioned as one function of the soundpost, but what is missed is that i t enhances the
loudness of the strings on the other end of the bridge! i.e. immobilising the treble foot
by a soundpost enhances bass response and immobilising the hast, foot by a Lass bar
enhances treble response. (These observations are based on simple experiments that
require confidence that tuning up without a soundpost is safe).

Stop by P. Williams
The use of the term for the distance from the bridge to the upper end of the belly by the
violin world is omitted. String stop, which is the distance from bridge to nut, is also
omitted,

Stradivari, Antonio Dy C, Beare

The effect of the varnish on the sound is grossly exaggerated and the much greater
effect of the ground is not mentioned.

String by P. Williams
Only with metal strings does high inharmonicity sound b e l l - l i k e i gut strings just sound
dead. I doubt whether the drop in pitch as a harpsichord string sounds is the result of
the loss of inharmonic overtones - t h i s should then be worse on a piano, and i t i s n ' t - I
suggest that i t is loss of tension as the string is stretched less by reduced vibration
amplitude. When discussing the interaction of the s t r i n g with the soundboard, the
characteristics of the bridge inbetween are omitted. Though the drawplate was
available in Europe by the 10th century, drawn iron wire <as opposed t o wrought iron
wire) was not available u n t i l late in the 14th century, when water power was harnessed
for the drawing. Recent work indicating that iron wire used for harpsichords was
strengthened by phosphorus with carbon absent is not included. Piccinim (1623) did not
mention silver strings for his chitarrone. but did for his pandora. Playford was selling
 II

overspun strings on gut and silk long before Sainte-Colombe mentioned them. Much more
about modern strings for guitars and violins could have been mentioned.

Sympathetic Strings by # . D. Boyden

Their apparent invention around 1600 in England is not mentioned. Tuning in unison with
the bowed strings is mentioned, but for a quarter of a millenium after 1620, no metal
string could tune as high as gut, so either this tuning wasn't accurately followed or the
sympathetic string tuned with the highest non-sympathetic string was gut as well. That
unison tuning has been far from universal, and tuning in a diatonic scale probably has
been at least as common. Not mentioned is the sympathetic effect of strings on the
instrument that could be played on but are not at the time, as was exploited extensively
by the lyra viol.

FoMRHI Comm. 9 78 Jeremy Montagu

Review of: Larigot no.7, March, 1990.

Another good issue, mainly on brass. The There is a brief description of an exhibition in
first article, by Michel Smiga, is on how to Lille, by J.J.Revillion.
make your own double reeds. It is doubtless
useful on the technique of making the reeds, This is followed by an interview with a crafts-
but as there is no information at all on the man maker and repairer of brass instruments,
dimensions of historical reeds, it's not going Monsieur Mazerau, by Patrick Delile.
to be a lot of use unless you already have
Paul White's article, from AM1SJ, on bassoon The final article, by Guy Laurent, is on
reeds, or Geoffrey Burgess's, from our Q, on French silver marks on instruments (poingons
oboe reeds, to neither of which is there any in French, hall-marks in English).
reference here. Without these essential ar-
ticles, you may wind up knowing how to make As always, there is page of small advertise-
a reed, but without any clue on what sort of ments, instruments for sale and wanted.
reed you should be making.
Articles are always short, often useful, and,
This is followed by extracts from the Coues- when the original material is line drawings or
non catalogue of 1912 for comets, with the engravings, well illustrated. Photographs
price list (!), and with the fascinating pages of come out a bit too dark to be really useful, as
illustrations of all the bits that go into making one would expect with a photocopied journal.
the cornets, all the bows, stays, plates to
which the stays are soldered, and so forth. Their address is 93 rue de la Chapelle, Apt.
166F, 75018 Paris. Subscription is 130 French
This is followed by a further article by Bruno francs, plus 50F for airmail abroad, and back
Kampmann on valve systems, covering, with issues are 40F each or 100F for each year-set
good illustrations, both photographic and of three. They cover all wind instruments, but
drawn, a variety of compensating systems. with a slight bias towards brass.
FoMRHI Comm. 9 7 9 Jeremy Montagu

Review of. Marco Tiella <_ Luca Primon, Catalogo degli Strumenti dell'Istituto della Pieti
Venezia, Istituto Provinciale per L'Infanzia "S.Maria de_a Piet_", Venezia, 1990.
128 pp, numerous plates, some in colour, drawings, etc. No price stated.

This sumptuous catalogue, describing and the belly, and a black-and-white photograph
illustrating all the surviving instruments from of the instrument as it was restored for the
the Pieti, was prepared for an exhibition con- exhibition (the restoration consisted mainly of
nected with the 250th anniversary of the death fitting four strings and a bridge so that a vio-
of the Ospedale della Pieta's most famous lin looks more like a violin for the general
music master and composer, Antonio Vivaldi. public), plus detail photographs of one of the
It is an example of what such a catalogue f-holes, the neck/body joint, and the profile
should be, and it puts to shame the catalogue of the scroll. Full measurements are given,
produced for the Galpin Society's 40th Anni- along with a detailed description.
versary a few years ago. Marco Tiella has
told me that it had to be prepared in a hurry, Where there is a label (some are, as always,
and if he could do so superb a job on this, anonymous), there is a photo of the label tak-
with so much technical detail, there is no en through the f-hole, both by normal and by
reason why other temporary exhibition catalo- ultraviolet light. The labelled instruments are
gues should not be equally detailed. Benedetto Auesan, Verona, 1704; Francesco
Ruggieri, 1690; Petrus Guarnerius, 1751;
This collection is, or certainly seems likely to Mathias Homsteiner, 1795; Andrea Guarnieri,
be, the largest collection in the world of bar- 1654; Jacob Pez, 1787; Jacobus Stainer, 1674;
oque and early classical string instruments, Mattio Goffriller, 1708 (cello); Pietro Caspan,
most of them still in original condition, with 1665 (bass). Most of the labels seem to be
untouched necks and untampered-with interi- thought to be false, the exceptions being the
ors. I do not know when the Ospedale della Auesan, the Pez, the Goffriller, and the Cas-
Pieta ceased to function as a music academy, pan.
but it would appear that the instruments have
not been used since the late 18th century, and The string instruments are followed by the
they clearly ceased to be used before the rav- four Andrea Coin horns of 1770. These are
ages of the Vuillaume school and others did curious instruments with a fixed mouthpipe
their best to destroy much of our musical and no tuning slide, but with crooks which
heritage in the interests of the modem or- will fit into the mouthpipe, something that I'd
chestra. The only instruments which have never seen before seeing these instruments. It
been modernised are the two Goffriller cellos, means that the crooks are cylindrical in bore,
which were "restored" (ie modernised) in wide enough at the beginning to accept a
1966. What we have here is the prime evid- mouthpiece, with a sharp contraction to get
ence of how our early string instruments were down to a size which will fit into the mouth-
when they were made. piece socket at the top of the mouthpipe.
There is also a similar hom, but without
For each of the instruments, all known catalo- crooks, by Anton Kemer of 1765.
gue numbers and previous descriptions are
given (they have been catalogued at different These are followed by photographs of a vani-
times by different people, each producing shed viola and square piano.
their own system and description), followed by
a photograph of each one as they were in the Then comes the meat of the catalogue, the
Museo Correr in the early years of this cen- really detailed study which we have come to
tury. expect from Marco Tiella. First there is a
dendrochronological study of each instrument.
Then follow good colour photographs, front Then a photogrammetric study of the anony-
back and side, with a line drawing showing the mous voila and moire-topographic photos of
precise angle of the fingerboard in relation to five of the violins (one of them front and
 13

back) and the viola. There are end-views of though as he lives in Rovereto, quite some
several of the instruments, showing the tail- way from Venice, he may not find any easier
button and the end of the tailpice, and draw- than the rest of us to get hold of copies in
ings, front and profile, of most of the tail- any quantity. Nevertheless, if you are working
pieces. There are detailed measurements of on early violins, I'd say that this catalogue was
all the fingerboards, and endoscopic photo- a must, especially if your Italian is better than
graphs of the neck-block of four of the viol- mine. This is unrivalled source material, for
ins, showing the nail heads which secure the this is not just how violins might have been
;
- neck to the block. There are X-radlographs before the 19th century restorers got at them,
of three of the neck-blocks and drawings of but as they were. Maybe not as they were in
all of them, showing how each neck is joined Vivaldi's time (there is no way of telling whe-
to the body. There are detailed drawings of ther they were already in the Ospedale in his
the neck/body joint and a great many more time; the earliest records seem to be mid- 19th
very precise measurements. Each bass-bar is century).
drawn, and measurements are given of each.
There are ultraviolet light photographs of four Finally, there are still more instruments from
of the violins and holograph photographs of this source, which were not included in this
six of them. There are resonance graphs of exhibition. There are a few more violins,
the body cavities for all of them; none were in which were too valuable and/or too fragile to
a condition which would allow them to be include. There is a considerable number of
strung up and played. Finally there is an wind instruments, most of which I have al-
English and a German translation of the ready described in these pages (Comms 658
introductory material, of the schema of the and 673), which were tranferred to the Con-
catalogue, and of the project for conserving servatory Benedetto Marcello and which are
these instruments properly, for many are in a still there. At least let us record our gratitude
parlous condition due not only to their age that these instruments were released from
but to the appetites of insects. One of the their storage area on the top floor of one of
sections above consists of a gas-chromatogra- the buildings around the Piazza San Marco
phic analysis of the insecticidal powders found and have not only been put on show but have
inside the instruments! been examined in such detail and so well
published. Let us now hope that they will be
I am not at all clear how one can get hold of properly conserved so that they may survive as
copies of this catalogue; the name that I've source material for those instrument makers
given as a publisher does not seem wholly of the future who are trying to recreate the
promising as a source. Some of the obvious sound of music as it was known to Vivaldi and
sources may be worth trying, and if all else his contemporaries.
fails, Marco Tiella is one of our members,
14
FoMHRl Cov*** 9 8 0
Aulos 'Haka' descant and treble recorders

The plastic recorder has been with us for a long time, and has undergone
many changes and improvements since the days of the heavy Bakelite instruments
produced by Schott, Dolmetsch and others, which are now almost collectors'
items in their own right. The range of instruments now available varies
from the luridly coloured toys sold in some chain-stores to well designed
recorders of a very high quality, the best of which are often superior in
every way to some wooden instruments costing very much more. While for a
serious player thetf is no substitute for a fine wooden recorder, a good bk«rU
one can be a very useful practice instrument, and for beginners and schools
it is essential.

During the 1970s the range of Aulos plastic recorders achieved extraordinaty
world-wide success: a success not altogether deserved as the extremely
popular and ubiquitous descant model was made at a pitch significantly higher
than A440Hz, while later models were inclined to be on the flat side. An
unfortunate schoolteacher might be confronted with a pitch discrepancy of
nearly a semitone between two Aulos descants. The introduction of the Yamaha
300 Series - elegantly proportioned , in tune, tonally balanced and available
from soprani©* to bass - seemed to represent a 'ne plus ultra' in plastic
recorders and a timely challenge to Aulos. If th* Aulos 'Haka' models are
intended as a response to this challenge, it is a response which succeeds
admirably, for to judge by the two examples provided for review, these are
certainly the best plastic recorders I have played.

Appropriating the name of an illustrious maker from the past can, of course,
imply anything from a carefully reconstructed copy of an instrument, as
authentic as possible in every detail, to a mere marketing device, resulting
in such absurdities as a 'Stradivarius' trumpet. No information is given as
to which recerder(s) by Haka provided the model for the*ew Aulos productions,
which certainly cannot be considered authentic copies. That apart, they seem
to emtjdy some of the expressive qualities which are associated with original
baroque recorders. The treble responds well to even bread* pressure within
each register, producing firm tone, not loud but well focussed, and standard
English fingering produces excellent intonation in terms of the equal tempered
scale. The low semitones produced by the double holes, a weak point on
many an expensive recorder, are particulatly good, and the high C sharp is
also better than average. There is a good response to rapid articulation, but
any tendency to harshness in the action of the tonghe produces a fairly
strong 'chiff which can be attractive in the right place, but might be a
source of irritation to some players. The descant has similar qualities
apart from the 'chiff, and is if anything a little more expressive and
flexible, and a real pleasure to play. A particularly welcome feature of
both recorders is that they are much less prone to clogging than is usual with
plastic instruments. The beak and rings are made from shiny white plastic
while the main body of theinstrument is finishied in a dark matt brown to
simulate wood. Some might consider this vulgar, but I find it rather
appealing, and there is less tendency than usual for the recorder to become
sticky under the fingers.

As conventional modern recorders these instruments have much to recommend

them. It is disappointing, however, that no one has yet produced a plastic
recorder more closely modelled on a baroque original. An inexpensive plastic
baroque recorder at AA15, preferably with the option of single holes and
original fingering, would be a very worthwhile instrument. To judge from
their superb flute after Stanesby, Aulos would doubtless be capable of
producing such a recorder.

Alan Davis
 15

FoMRHI Comm. 981 Ardal Powell

REVIEWS OF MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS

I was disturbed to read the reviews of musical instruments, Comms.

966 and 967. At first I thought my unease was bred by what I read
in the reviews; yet on the face of it much of what they said seemed
sensible and factually accurate. I could see at once that it was
absurd for one reviewer to expound upon an instrument that he was
unable to play, and not right for another to report on alterations
which he had made to an instrument—not his property—without
consulting the maker. But it soon dawned on me that ray dismay had
a more serious origin than these incidental details could account
for.

It seemed to me on reflection that even the most thoroughly

researched and erudite review of a musical instrument, by a figure
of unimpeachable reliablity and eminence, would have to face
certain ethical and practical questions, rather different from
those which confront a reviewer of books, or opera performances,
or dessert recipies. I tried to put myself in the instrument-re-
viewer's shoes, to see if I could think of an answer to any of
them.

• If a "copy" of an instrument of the past represents its maker's

best efforts at interpreting the original or originals, what
tools can be used for measuring the maker's degree of success?
How might a factor like workmanship, or one like design, be
judged by someone who might not recognize and have extensive
practical acquaintance of all the techniques that have, or could
have, or ought to have, been applied, both in the original and
in the copy? And what about the functionality of an instrument,
which can only really be judged with respect to the way it
performs a very specific job, the definition of which will vary
from one individual musician to the next? What data can describe
for the reader the reviewer's concept of the "original": the
measurements available to the maker? Readings from a tuning mach-
ine (set to what tuning-system?), oscilloscope, monochord, and/or
other devices? The opinion of one or more professional players
and/or instrument-makers of the characteristics of that origin-
al, or of others more or less like it? Side-by-side comparison
of original and copy using only the reviewer's senses? And what
if the design is a composite of more than one original? Is it
enough to compare a copy labelled with the name of an old maker
with any single original instrument by that maker, even one in
mint condition?

• What kind of personality, what professional field, what skills

IG

and experience might qualify an individual to take the unusual

step of making general judgments in print on the quality of a
musical instrument? Given (at least for the traverso) the wide
variety in types of instrument and in playing technique (not to
mention experience and knowledge of original instruments) even
among advanced players, and the degree to which personal taste
and temporary mood are additional factors, what value might those
judgements—even coming from an "authoritative" source—have for
others whose approach and conclusions might be very different?

• For whose particular benefit would an instrument review be

intended? Might it relieve those with a casual interest of the
chore of trying the instrument for themselves? Or help those
really in the market to make up their minds? Or ought it just
provide the maker with free publicity? Might an ingenuous
reviewer fulfil this function unwittingly? Just from a functional
aspect, how would an instrument review compare with, for example,
a book review, or a review of a performance, and how would the
reviewers' rights and responsibilities compare?

• How might the price of the instrument factor into the assessment?
Should an expensive instrument be held to higher standards than
a cheap one? Ought instruments to be compared only with others
like them in price, or are price and quality ideally and/or
practically unrelated issues? May cheap copies only be made after
undistinguished originals, or can expensive copies of them be
allowable too? Are defective copies of good originals necessarily
made that way because of the lack of discernment of the maker,
or could it be, willy-nilly, to keep them within a given price
range? Is the price of an instrument generally related to its
quality as cause, or as effect?

• Makers such as Friedrich von Huene, Masahiro Arita, Guido

Klemisch, Claire Soubeyran, Henri Gohin and others have been
employed under contracts to design instruments for mass-produc-
tion, and Mr. Toyama employs 12 musicians in his research and
development section (while another 200 work in production and
marketing). Is offering Mr. Toyama information for which he is
accustomed to paying (actually neither review provided any) in
the interests of these makers and the value placed on their
expertise? In the interests of the membership of FoMRHI? In the
interests of Mr. Toyama? Do all or any of these overlap, and if
so, would that make it all right to take action that might harm
a minority of or within them?

• Is there any danger of a reviewer unintentionally giving offence

to the maker of an instrument under review (by, for instance,
making a mistaken statement of fact, or an erroneous or inap-
propriate judgement)? If a maker felt he or she had been wronged
 17
in a review in the Q., who would be reponsible for the publica-
tion's content, and where would the injured party apply for
redress? To the reviewer? To Jeremy? To the Fellows of FoMRHI?

• Will all members of FoMRHI now be expected (allowed? encouraged?)

to provide free examples of their work to Jeremy for peer review?
Or will those who are members be excluded in favour of those,
like Mr. Toyama, who are not? Will harpsichord makers in
Australia be required to ship an instrument (or three) to Oxford
for the privilege, publicity and exposure a review will bestow,
and to get free advice on how to improve their work?

• Is it really the purpose of FoMRHI, or the intention of its Hon.

S e c , to encourage its members to pass judgement on the work of
fellow instrument-makers? Would any individual member of FoMRHI
have written a Comm. on another maker's work spontaneously,
without prompting from Jeremy? Jeremy's dealings with Mr. Toyama
have been made unilaterally, but apparently on behalf of FoMRHI:
what plans are there to dispose of the donated instruments after
all the reviews are written? Will they be kept for Jeremy's
personal use? Will the Music Faculty in the University of Oxford
take advantage of them? Will they be returned (with whatever
modifications the reviewers have seen fit to make) to their
makers?

I find it very difficult to untangle this web of arduous moral and

practical difficulties and look at them one at a time, much less
figure out solutions—but they surely must at least have been con-
sidered in the mind of anyone bold enough to propose the introduc-
tion of instrument reviews for an audience which contains as many
learned and distinguished makers as FoMRHI.

But in view of the fact that many of the problems which are raised
even by the bare concept of a musical instrument review are to my
mind by their very nature insoluble, I fear the appearance of the
reviews in Q.59 can only be viewed as hasty and imprudent.
18

FoMRHI Comm. 992. Jeremy Montagu

FoMRHI HEALTH WARNING - THIS COMM BREAKS ALL OUR RULES - IF YOU
DONT LIKE IT, DONT READ IT:

Further to a Comm from Ardal Powell in this Q - Are Reviews Justified?

A Comm has arrived this morning from Ardal wish me to do so, there's no reason why we
Powell which has annoyed me so much that I should not do so, and, if anyone feels that we
am breaking our agreed rules and practices, should review recordings, let me know, and I'll
and I am commenting on it here and now in- start asking.
stead of waiting for three months. But do
read his Comm first, please, and then turn to I have never suggested before that we should
this Comm. review instruments — No, I'm wrong, I think
that it has been suggested before, a long time
In the course of his Comm, Ardal impugns ago, but I don't think very seriously, and I
my honesty, probity, etc, but that I propose to don't think anything was done about it. If
ignore and to treat with the contempt that I you remember, there were occasional articles
believe it deserves; if you disagree, anyone is in Early Music along the lines of a Which?
free to ask for my resignation. report (for the benefit of foreigners, Which?
is a magazine which surveys the field for
He asks also what has happened to the inst- anything from washing machines to cars and
ruments. The answer is the normal one for reports on Best Buys and why some products
review material; they are the reviewers' perks should be avoided, etc). I did a brass one
for taking the trouble to review them. One and also a percussion one, if I remember
traverso was left in hand, and that has been rightly. Anyway, we've not done it in FoM-
given to the Bate Collection (it is already out RHIQ, partly for the reasons that Ardal men-
on loan to a student). This is, I think, the tions (who wants to ship a harpsichord from
first time that the Bate has received anything Australia for us to review it, and who could
from FoMRHI in return foir the considerable afford to give one away?).
amount of time, paid for by the University,
which is spent on FoMRHI matters, not to This case was different; flutes are relatively
speak of typewriter/printer ribbons, etc, etc. cheap to ship, and mass-produced plastic in-
struments are usually cheap enough that the
History first: firm could afford to give us one. It was dif-
ferent, too, because it is a new departure, a
I saw Aulos's advertisement for the 'Stanesby' mass-produced instrument, probably at an af-
(and other flutes) in Early Music, and thought fordable price (rumour has it, around £250,
that this would be of interest to many of us, but I've not been able to confirm this), just
so I wrote to them to ask if they would like to what we all, I thought, wanted to get our po-
send a 'Stanesby' for review, I did not men- tential customers started. What many of us
tion the 'Grensers' to them because they were have said that we wanted for strings, anyway,
not at a Tjaroque' pitch. They did so, with a so why not for wind?
very friendly response, and they included the
'Haka' recorders. So much for historical background and my
reasons for doing what I did.
This is precisely what I quite often do when I
see a book advertised which I think would be Now for what has really annoyed me in Ax
of Interest to some or many of us. Sometimes dal's Comm:
books come unrequested; sometimes I ask for
them; sometimes a member suggests that I He attacks, implicitly and without actually
should ask for them. This is what every jour- saying so, the whole principle of peer review.
nal does. Sometimes records come, too. I It has been the custom, for several thousand
don't often ask for records, but if members years, that when you publish a book, stage a
 19

play, etc, etc, you invite the comments of your So much for general remark — now to one
peers. In Plato's time, this was not formali- particular remark In his Comm:
sed. It just happened. More recently, proba-
bly due to the Invention of the law of libel, At the foot of his first page, he asks "What
the custom arose that you invited the critics kind of personality, what professional field,
to read, attend, whatever. Papers, journals, what skills and experience might qualify an
etc, might request books, tickets, etc. If the individual to take the unusual step of making
book or tickets were sent, this constituted an general judgements in print on the quality of
invitation to review in law. a musical Instrument?" I have seldom read so
intemperate a response, even by an author,
If, as author, publisher, playwright, etc, you etc, who has been unmercifully savaged in a
were worried about the reception of your review. The answer, Ardal, is anybody who
work, you didn't send out such Invitations, has looked at an Instrument (which covers my
and you weren't reviewed. Most of us, I write remarks on it), an experienced maker and tea-
now as an author and a professional musician, cher of makers (which covers Lewis's), an
were content to be judged by our peers, reck- expert player (which covers both Alan Davis's
oning that the publicity gained would probably remarks herewith on the recorders, and Lew-
be worth the risk, and anyway being content is's on the traverso). And at that he's a damn
to stand by our work. sight luckier than some concert promoters
who may find the dally paper's sports cor-
We have all suffered unfair reviews (or so we respondent reviewing their concert.
thought). Some of us, certainly including my-
self, have a reputation as savage reviewers of Now to a request for comment from you:
work that we do not think up to standard, and
certainly we thus lay ourselves open to rev- Do you agree with Ardal? If so, please say
enge reviews. I have had at least one such of so. If a majority of you do agree with Ardal,
one of my books (comparing the review in there will be no more reviews in FoMRHIQ.
question with others of the same book, and Not just no more reviews of instruments, but
knowing that the reviewer had indeed some- no more reviews of anything. Perhaps even
thing to avenge). Nevertheless.this is all part the end of FoMRHI. For this is a matter of
of the game. And also somewhat irrelevant to over-riding policy. There cannot be in any
the matter at issue. open society, still less one like ours which was
founded precisely for discussion and com-
What Ardal is saying, or rather implying, is ment, apartheid between subjects. Either
either that all reviews should cease, or else everything that we do, write, play, or make is
that Instrument makers are in a privileged open for comment and discussion, or it isn't.
position; that authors, composers, musicians,
you name it, may, must, or should, stand to I hope that Eph will also comment in this
be judged by their peers, whereas instrument area, whether or not he wishes to discuss
makers should only be judged by their indivi- Ardal's Comm, at least on the policy on whe-
dual customers. ther we review or not, and indeed on whether
we comment on each other's work or not, and
If you transpose what he says, and change above all on whether we continue or not. We
"instrument" for "book", "maker" for "auth- have all been free to comment on each other's
or" (or whatever object and producer you Comms. If on Comms, why not on instru-
wish), you will see what pernicious nonsense ments? And if not on instruments, why on
he has written, and you will see, too, which is Comms?
why I am rabbiting on at such length, that
this is the thin end of the wedge, the idea that So the question really comes down to this:
some subjects are above criticism, that they
should not be exposed to public gaze and Should FoMRHI continue or not?
remark.
20

1990 Members List Supplement no.l, p.l

1990 FoMRHI List of Members - 1st Supplement as at 9th Jury 1990

LONDON AREA TELEPHONE NUMBERS

Robin Almond, 081- Alan Higgitt, 071- Mark Ransom, 071-

Anthony Baines, 081- Harvey Hope, 081- John Rawson, 071-
Philip Bate, 071- Lewis Jones, 081- Huw Saunders, 081-
Peter Bavington, 071- John Leach, 071- Harry Shorto, 071-
Peter Berg, 071- Barry Lloyd, 071- Robert Spencer, 081-
Tony Bingham, 071- London Coll.Furn., 071- Melanie Spriggs, 081-
Maria Boxall, 081- Francesca McManus, 081- Raymond Taylor, 081-
Geoffrey Bridges, 081- David Miles, 081- D.R.Thomas, 081-
Bridgewood & Neitzert, 071- Jonathan Morgan, 081- Francls Tomes, 081-
David Chatterton, 081- John Morley, 081- Mimi Waltzman, 081-
Martin Clayton, 081- Michael Morrow, 071- Wllliam Waterhouse, 081-
Andrew Crawford, 081- Howard Nelson, 081- Ellzabeth Wells, 071-
Mathew Dart, 071- Christopher Nobbs, 071- Graham Wells, 071-
John Edwards, 081- Joseph O'Kelly, 071- Lorraine Wood, 081-
Stephen Fogg, 081- Guy Oldham, 081- Vemon Wood, 081-

OTHER CHANGES
* in left hand margin - change of address or other change

Christopher Allworth, 36 Milsom Avenue, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada B3N 2B9 (med/ren str
Instrs; M.P).
Boris Axelrod, POBox 627, Tiberias 14106, Israel (vln, M; soundpaint, res).
Ralph Bryant, Haus ROtll, HSldelistrJ, CH-8712 StaTa, Switzerland (tpt, cmett; P).
* Philip Kwok-wing Chiu, 3/15 Morrow Ave, Bucklands Beach, Auckland, New Zealand.
David Z.Crookes, 94 Lansdowne Road, Belfast, BT15 4AB, UK; 0232-772074 (rebec, gemshrn,
M; all instrs, W).
* Michael J.Daniels, 9 Mile End Road, Norwich NR4 7QY, UK; 0603-52236.
Jim Downie, Gourdas, Fyvie, Turriff, Aberdeen AB5 8RY, UK; 0651-6503 (str instrs; M,R,P,T).
* Michael R.DuPree, 2407 Wilshire Blvd # 524, Santa Monica, CA 90403-5800, USA.
Warwick Edwards, 22 Falkland Street, Glasgow 012 9PR, UK; 041-334 9229.
Rob Gilliam-Turner, % McGuffey Art Center, 201 Second St NW, Charlottesville, VA 22901,
USA (804) 295-4268 (recrdr, trav, M,P).
Haags Gemeentemuseum, Stadhouderslaan 41, NL-2517 UV [Postbus 72, NL-2501 CB1
'8-Gravenhage, Netherlands; 070/514181.
F John Hanchet, Beckumsfeld 4, D-4300 Essen 15, West Germany, 0201/463901 (early ww, esp
shawms, crmhms, recrdr, fag; M,P).
Jonathan M.Harding, 47A Queens Road, High Wycombe, Bucks HP 13 6AQ, UK (lute, vih; M).
Otto Harrassowitz, TaunusstraBe 5, POBox 2929, D-6200 Wiesbaden, West Germany (books;
D).
Martyn Hodgson, 39 Becketts Park Crescent, Headingly, Leeds LS6 3PH, UK; Leeds 751137
(ren/bar picked instrs; M,R,P).
* Hubert Keller, Kurt-Schumacher-Str.212, D-4220 Bad Sooden-Allendorf, (West) Germany.
Jitze Kopinga, Churchillweg 41, NL 6707 JB Wageningen, Netherlands (fidl, lute, bagpp, dulcmr,
M,P).
* Simon Lambert, 43 Pyrland Road, London N5 2JA UK; 071-354 9019.
Brian Lemin, 5 Rlalto Ct, Traralgon, Vic 3844, Australia (recrdr, lute, gmba, psaltry; M).
 21

1990 Members List Supplement no.l, p.2

Lawrence Lundy, 505 Elmside Blvd, Madison, WI 53704, USA; (608) 244-0477 (perc, P; lute,
M,P).
D.B.D.Mann, 67 Ulster Avenue, Shoeburyness, Essex SS3 9HL, UK (ww, M).
Kimber Rhoads, Rt 3 Box 51, Cedar Creek, MO 65627 (recrdr, M).
RILM Abstracts, City University of New York, 33 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036,
USA (212) 642-2709.
John Rutzen, Sunshine Cottage, Kirkton Road, Rattray, Blairgowrie, Perthshire PH10 7DZ, UK;
0250-3831 (trav, harp, pipes; M).
John Storrs, Brookside, Runston, Chichester, W.Sussex PO20 6NR, UK; Chichester 789605
(hpschd etc, spnet, clavchd; M).
Edward H.Tarr, Trompetenmuseum Bad Sfickingen, TrompeterschloB, Postfach 1143, D-7880
Bad Sfickingen, West Germany, 07761/51311 (tpt; P,W,L,C,coll).
Marsha Taylor, 27520 W.Ingram Isl.Rd, Monroe, OR 97456, USA

§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§

Museum: Bad Sfickingen: Trompeter (Edward Tarr)

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ORGANOLOGICAL INDEX

All Instruments: David Crookes

Percussion: Lawrence Lundy
String Instruments: Christopher AHworth Jim Downie
Psalteries: Brian Lemin
Dulcimers: Jitze Kopinga
Harpsichord etc: John Storrs, hs
Clavichord: John Storrs
Plucked Strings: Martyn Hodgson
Lute: Jonathan Harding Brian Lemin
Jitze Kopinga Lawrence Lundy
Vihuela: Jonathan Harding
Rebec: David Crookes
Fiddle: Jitze Kopinga
Violin: Boris Axelrod
Viola da Gamba: Brian Lemin
Harp: John Rutzen
Woodwind: John Hanchet D.B.D.Mann
Transverse Flute: Rob Gilliam-Tumer John Rutzen
Recorder: Rob Gilliam-Tumer Brian Lemin
John Hanchet Kimber Rhoads
Gemshorn: David Crookes
Crumhorn: John Hanchet
Bassoon: John Hanchet
Shawm: John Hanchet
Bagpipes: Jitze Kopinga John Rutzen
Trumpet: Ralph Bryant Edward Tarr
Cornett: Ralph Bryant

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22

1990 Members List Supplement no.l, p.3

GEOGRAPHICAL INDEX

Australia: Brian Lemin, Vic Canada: Christopher Allworth, NS

West Germany. John Hanchet Otto Harrasowitz Ed Tarr
Israel- Boris Axelrod
Netherlands: Haags Gemeentemuseum Jitze Kopinga
New Zealand: Philip Kwok-wing Chiu Switzerland: Ralph Bryant
UK: Jonathan Harding, Bucks D.B.D.Mann, Essex
London: Simon Lambert, N5
UK: John Storrs, WSusx Martyn Hodgson, WYorks
Northern Ireland: David Crookes
Scotland: Jim Downie, Aberd Warwick Edwards, Glasg John Rutzen, Perth
USA Kimber Rhoads, MO Rob Gilliam-Tumer, VA
Marsha Taylor, OR Lawrence Lundy, WI

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 23

FoMRHI Comm 3 8 3 Ephraim Segerman

S t y l e D e c o r a t i o n __nd T o n e

The quality of a performance is usually judged by i t s power to move a listener

emotionally. In pre-classicai music, vocal music was f e l t to be the most moving, with
the power of both words and music cooperating for greater effect than each alone.
Concerning the words, at least as powerful as their meaning and poetry, was the style of
their delivery,

The vocal style favoured in the Renaissance and early baroque was an imitation of the
declamatory rhetorical manner of an orator in public speaking, With i t s considerably
exaggerated gestures, enunciation, verbal phrasing and dynamics, that style was seen
than as the most effective socially-acceptable way of publicly expressing emotion and
inducing emotional response. Part of this style was the i l l u s t r a t i o n of appropriate
individual words by an imitation of the non-verbal expression of strong emotion that
was normally too embarrassing to show in public or to observe for any length of time.

This rhetorical style faced growing competition during the the baroque from a different
s t y l e which overcame the embarrassment of extended intimacy by imitation of the show
of emotion using a stylized display of vocal dexterity. This style was a component of
I t a l i a n opera and grew in importance within that medium as well as growing in general
popularity as that medium grew. In this style the words were of secondary importance
and clarity in their delivery (which was characteristic of the rhetorical s t y l e , and
required strong consonants) was abandoned.

At all times, instrumental style of performance imitated whatever vocal style was in
/ogue.

Throughout most of the history of our culture, quality in a l l arts and crafts was
enhanced by appropriate decoration. Primary functions of decoration were to f i l l space
in balanced and interesting ways (e.g. concerning musical gracing, Robinson wrote 'note
that the longer the time is of a single stroke, that the more neede i t hath of a relish.,,
but in a quicke time a l i t t l e touch or jerke w i l l serve') and to provide emphasis or focus
(e.g. F.oninson similarly wrote 'a strong relysh for loudnesse or a rnilde relysh for
passionate attencion'). When such decoration was applied according to the taste of the
time, i t usually enhanced the emotional impact. I f omitted, at best this reflected a cold
stark puritanical concept of enforced simplicity, and at worst this reflected a poverty of
means, s k i l l s or taste. I f the decoration showed superior imagination or s k i l l , this
induced particular admiration for the craftsman or a r t i s t .

Melismatic musical decoration (i.e. more than one note for a syllable) was then added to
music tc give emphasis and emotional effect to words, to enrich and add movement to the
structure of the music, and to display the imagination and s k i l l of the performer. In
performing these functions, i t can't help but compete with the verbal clarity required for
rhetorical power of the words.

This competition is minimal with gracing, where a l l of the melisma is slurred on vowels,
with no additional articulation that competes with the consonants, which occurs with
division. The sequence of notes in graces were quite stereotyped and thus easy t o
reproduce, so Renaissance w r i t e r s rarely f e l t that i t was necessary to describe them,
except perhaps for the newest l e a s t - f a m i l i a r ones,

When the Camerata signalled the beginning of the I t a l i a n baroque by rejecting decorative
musical practices that interfered with the powet of the words, they retained gracing as
a necessary de\ice for providing emphasis. They also retained cadential division
because what was happening with the music and the words was already quite clear by the
time the cadence occurred. What they rejected was the non-cadential division that had
become very pervasive in late 16th century I t a l y as a vehicle for vocal display. This
24

division obscured the words (as well as the music) without effectively expressing strong
emotion. By rejecting extensive flamboyant division, the Italian baroque started off
(from the point of view of decoration) as a return to normal Renaissance practices. But
as that period continued, a new flamboyant style developed. It incorporated elements of
gracing and division in i t s imitation of the slurred and articulated noises of the
expression of strong emotion, and it became the famous Italian baroque style, This
contrasted with the French style, which still was basically the old rhetorical
Renaissance s t y l e .

A big rich tone was an essential contributor to the emotional impact of the Italian style
(e.g. the voice of a castrato), and this criterion is the main aspect of that style that
survives today. Weak-toned voices and instruments were much ,oore acceptable when
the rhetorical style was in vogue. Rhetorical articulation was much more important.
J u s t being audible for some of the music was often good enough (see Comm 773 Q46 p33
paragraph 2). Decoration helped when there was an audibility problem (Robinson wrote
'a relish will help, both to grace it, and also it helps to continue the sound of a note his
full time'). Instruments used only in domestic environments often had design features
that inhibited projection of tone. The vihuela soundboard is an example, with inset tiles
and a high rose leaving most of its length unbarred. Another is the viola d'amore
soundboard, which usually had the sympathetic strings attached to a pin-bridge glued on
to i t . The preference for old Italian soundboards on French baroque lutes (albeit
rebarred) also exhibits a lack of concern for maximum resonance. It is quite likely that
many voices and instruments whose projection is considered inadequate today would
have been considered quite satisfactory for rhetorical performance.

FoMRHI Comm. 984- John Rawson

Identifying woodworm
Further to Jeremy Montagu's plea and Micnaela Freemanova's response
can I just draw peoples attention to the information provided by the
Building Research Station on the identification of beetles.
They publish "Building Research Station Digest, No 307 -
Identifying damage by wood-boring insects" 9pp A 4 size, available from
BRE at Publications Sales Office, Princes Risborough Laboratory, Princes
Risborough, Buckinghamshire HP 17 QPX, (price not stated, but I think
fairly modest).
It covers the different kinds of boring beetles, how to identify
them, and what damage they do. It describes their lifestyles, and has
photos of their holes etc It does not say what sort of insecticides to use
for eradication.
 25
FoMRHI Comm. 9 8 5 rj. Jacques Way

OLD WOOD

Every once in a while a harpsichord maker finds some old wood. A b a m

built in the eighteenth century is torn down, and if you can get the
old rotten nails out of the spruce posts, you can make soundboards from
eighteenth-century wood. Old harpsichords sound wonderful (?), so
harpsichords made from old wood ought to sound wonderful. The mystique
is powerful! "The soundboard wood should be at least 150 years old to
have the proper resonance," to quote from a recent advertisement.

Well, now. That sure puts all of us out of the running unless we can
lay our hands on such. I've listened to instruments made from such old
wood newly made into soundboards, and evidently my ears are deficient,
because I can't find the mysterious wonderfulness in them that their
makers claim for them.

I do find that wood has to be out of the tree for a while before you use
it for soundboards. Kiln-drying isn't enough. And, of course, kiln-drying
wood down to the dryness recommended in the handbooks can very well destroy
tonewood—the wood must be brought down slowly, and I don't like it dryer
than 12 to 15 percent out of the kiln. We have a problem of distances here
in the States, and truckers don't like to carry a lot of water—they get
paid by the board foot.

The problem is that freshly cut wood, no matter how dry it is, comes and
goes with changes in humidity, and it takes at least three or four years
out of the tree for tone wood to settle down, and eight or ten years is
still better. There is, in this aging process, an absolute loss of dimen-
sion. Wood that is eight or ten years out of the tree will still expand
and contract with humidity change, but much less so than when it was
younger, and after twenty years or so I believe it almost stops responding
to ordinary short-term changes. (Our climate in the States here is prob-
ably the worst in the world for swelling or splitting soundboards.)

So 'old' wood, yes. Much easier to predict how the soundboard will react
with humidity changes, fewer split soundboards, fewer soundboards climbing
into the V strings.

In eighteenth-century France, the builders worshipped old wood. They

patched together scraps from old Flemish instruments, and called the
patchwork a 'Ruckers'. But the old wood they worshipped was old sound-
board wood—wood that had been singing for a century or so. I don't
find any record of their tearing down fifteenth-century barns and wor-
shipping that.

Yes, there are stories of old organ-makers taking old pews in partial
payment for a new organ. For organ pipes it is terribly important that
the wood be aged well enough to have stopped its coming and going. Modern
organ makers have their wood yards full of wood drying in the snow and
sun and rain for five or six or a dozen years. The slabs are then taken
indoors and roughed out to thickness, and allowed to cure further and to
bring the water content down. Dom Bedos talks about curing wood under
water, six months under water being worth several years in the drying
yard.
26

But a harpsichord soundboard made from 'old' wood, or new wood, or

wood that has been properly aged to bring it to dimensional stability,
sounds like a new harpsichord (an ugly sound). It sounds much better
after it has been played for several months, and still better after a
year. There is a subtle improvement in the quality of the sound through-
out the life of the instrument (which can be centuries), although (I
believe) there is eventually a loss of vitality and drive in the sound
that ought not necessarily to be admired. A truly beautiful woman is
beautiful at any age, but not more beautiful at 60 than she was at 30.

Old piano soundboards are readily available, and this is certainly wood
that has been singing. But old piano soundboards that have 'lost their
bearings* are tired—I haven't been able to get a decent sound out of
such wood. The modern piano seems to overstress its soundboard, and there
is an eventual loss in the quality of the sound.

I'm happy to be working with Sitka and Swiss pine that is ten or twelve
years out of the tree. I would hate to be working (as I once did) with
wood that was only a year or two out of the tree. But some of those
soundboards that I made from wood too young for dimensional stability
make a remarkably good sound now (if they have survived the splits and
swelling intact).

I have some recorders that weren't much to hear when I bought them (years
ago when recorders didn't sound as well as they do now). They sound much
better now, and I must ask Alec Loretto if this is possibly because the
bore has become less cylindrical than it was.

I don't have any 'scientific' explanation for the fact that a soundboard
must be taught to sing, for the fact that it sounds so much better after
it has been played for several months. The difference in sound can't be
picked up by the crude instruments that acoustical scientists use, and I
have read 'scientific' treatises that deny that the phenomenon exists.

I remember my disappointment when I finally had to admit that wood a

century or more old didn't sound any better in an instrument than wood
much younger, and that the old wood needed to be taught to sing just like
the young wood. If old wood were the 'secret of it all', just think how
easy it would be to become a 'great' instrument maker! Buy up old wood,
and you'd have it made.

Alas, like all the other 'secrets of it all', this one also fails. We
are back to the proposition that making an instrument is a subtle balance
between a host of factors, some of them almost below the level of con-
sciousness. The maker who brings enough of the elements of his craft to
the critical balance, who 'gets enough things right', will succeed. Get-
ting only a few things right makes everything wrong.

There is, of course, another aspect to the 'old wood' question—the in-
creasing difficulty in finding wood from old forests, where the tree
was forced to thrust upward into the light, and side branches (which
make knots) are killed off early enough. And growth is slow enough to
make a fairly even pattern of late wood rings. There is truth to the
old adage:"Unless the tree had a hard time growing, it is hard to teach
it to sing." The eastern spruce forests are all gone from the U.S., and
the last tone wood mill making white spruce soundboards is closed down.
Virgin forest Sitka from Washington and Oregon is pithy compared with
 27

the Alaskan spruce the Japanese ship to Japan by the boatload. Good
'Swiss pine' is hard to find, but I have had half a dozen cubic meters
of beautiful spruce from Roumania.

Good tone wood can be found, but you have to be able to recognize it.
By eye you can see the quartering and the grain pattern. With a hammer
you can ring the plank. The piano industry uses a lot of spruce flitched
at the mill, and some of this is excellent for harpsichords. But because
of the>fcy a piano soundboard is constructed, they can make an acceptable
piano from wood that would not work very well for a harpsichord, or at
least for a French Double (the ribbing on some Italians and seventeenth-
century French instruments makes the quality of the tone wood much less
critical).

But, of course, what you do with good wood is as important as the wood
itslef. Much more important than counting annular rings to the inch is
the ring of the flitch, and laying up flitches by eye is not always a
sure guide. Putting horny flitches next to soft ones will make the
sound confused anjlacking in focus, and a 'hard' soundboard will re-
quire different thinning from a soft one.

Some years ago I showed an instrument to a famous harpsichord builder

whom I admired. "Well, of course, you were very lucky to get a soundboard
like that. Easy to make outstanding instruments if you are lucky with
your soundboards." I was astonished; I hadn't known that 'luck' had
anything to do with that soundboard.

I remembered crawling around in the mucK, of a timber yard on a cold

November day chalking planks to be pulled out of the piles, then ringing
them with the hammer, flitching the planks and laying the flitches up
for three years. 1 remembered that I had laid up the soundboard, and then
found I had misjudged a flitch in the treble. And after the instrument
was playing I went bnck in and cleaned up the 'crack' along the £'
hitchpin rail and along the bentside in the tenor. I guess my 'luck'
was in not knowing that I was supposed to be Ifucky^— something my master
hadn't told me.
28
FoMRHI C O M 9 8 6 SEIZO YOKOTA

THE ARCHETYPAL HARPSICHORD

In the h i s t o r y of harpsichords the Ruckers' family figures prominently.

Desired by many a t the time, t h e i r instruments possessed a s t r u c t u r e that was
both simple and r a t i o n a l , and the sound was thought to be q u i t e s u p e r l a t i v e .
Because of t h i s , harpsichord c o n s t r u c t i o n a f t e r t h i s s t r o n g l y e x h i b i t s the
influence of the Ruckers design, and i t appears that the pre-Ruckers t r a d i t i o n
was driven into a c o m e r .
However, there are s t i l l instruments which have features or d e t a i l s derived
from the pre-Ruckers t r a d i t i o n here and there, and even into the 18th century
i t is noteworthy that there are instruments that show l i t t l e Ruckers influence.
I s u g g e s t t h a t t h e term A r c h e t y p a l H a r p s i c h o r d be used for t h o s e
traditional instruments that developed from the archetype.
Until now these important instruments have often been regarded as only a "
Median-type" of the Old I t a l i a n and New Flemish S t y l e s . I would l i k e to put
them in their proper place, and offer a reevaluation.

I , The Flemish Harpsichord - What Ruckers Bequeathed

In the history of harpsichords the name Ruckers looms remarkably large. The
instruments they crafted, coming to the fore with the r i s e of the bourgeoisie,
are often depicted in the p o r t r a i t u r e of the period. Made of poplar, t h e i r
c o n s t r u c t i o n was of a simple and r a t i o n a l fashion. Their elegant decoration
also lent i t s e l f well to t h e i r beautiful tone color. Hans Ruckers, founder of
the c l a n , j o i n e d the St.Luke guild in 1579 and for g e n e r a t i o n s the Ruckers
family made a huge number of harpsichords and v i r g i n a l s .
Harpsichords made by the Ruckers clan are known as Flemish from the place
in which they ware made. In the middle of 17th century the Ruckers o r i g i n a l
underwent a Ravalement, or a r e c o n s t r u c t i o n , which led to the Flemish French
Style. This further led to the peak of the development of the French Style in
Versailles. Beyond this the c i r c l e of Ruckers' influence spread even further.
Almost a l l 18th century harpsichords show the influence of Ruckers or Flemish
French Style.
How can we c l a s s i f y the Ruckers' Flemish s t y l e ? Using the s e v e r a l
c h a r a c t e r i s t i c s below I will note the contrasts between Flemish and other styles.

a. Material Use of Poplar

The poplar that Ruckers used in the c o n s t r u c t i o n of t h e i r instruments i s

very v e r s a t i l e . In the low C o u n t r i e s i t is o f t e n found as a m a t e r i a l f o r
household goods. Poplar, which shares many t r a i t s of the lime that was used by
Task i n , is easy to work but looks roup.h and is not very b e a u t i f u l . Therefore i t
is not as suited f o r the t h i n case construction or natural wood f i n i s h . Walnut,
oak, and especially I t a l i a n cypress arc f i n e r and more beautiful materials. This
d i f f e r e n c e in material leads to d i f f e r e n c e of s t r u c t u r e , decoration and so on.

b. Structure — Simple and Kasy Construction

The s t r u c t u r e of Ruckers' instruments is very reasonable. F i r s t the side

panels and wrestplank are put together to form a frame and the l i n e r s and the
braces are set w i t h i n i t . After the soundboard is placed, the f i n a l step is to
attach the bottom from below. In this method the time for assembly is short but
thin s t r u c t u r e is not possible.
This contrasts sharply with the I t a l i a n method. F i r s t the b e l l y r a i l , the
 23
l i n e r , uy tutT MICCO, aim mc n i u v p i a u B on the blocks a r e a t t a c h e d to the
finished bottom, then reinforced by the b u t t r e s s e s and the corner blocks. The
side panels are glued and n a i l e d around t h i s . Next the soundboard is s e t ,
scroll boards are attached to both sides of the protruding keyboard , and then
moldings are added as reinforcement. In addition the outercase has to be made
arround the instrument.

c. Woodworking Simplicity and the Omission of Moldings

The side panels, bottom, lid, keyboard, and braces of the Ruckers' are a l l
made from about 13 14 mm thick planks of poplar. The bentside has far fewer
curve than one would think. I n t r i c a t e woodjoints a r e not found, but r a t h e r
simple wooden pegs are used frequently. The wrestplank is a x e - s p l i t from an
oak log, and i t s back surface is not often planed. In general the Ruckers'
woodworking is not very beautiful but rather coarse and quickly done.
In Italian s t y l e , because of i t s natural finish, careful and precise work,
avoiding scratches and s t a i n , is required. And the molding used often proved
troublesome in i t s application to the instrument.

d. The Bridge Simple Section

The design of the bridge is c l a s s i f i e d in two main s t y l e s . The I t a l i a n and

German types use molding, but the Ruckers model is a very simple scalene shape.

e. The Plucking Line — Parallel

Whether the plucking line is s e t on p a r a l l e l to the front edge or diagonal

is decided at the f i r s t stage of planning the instrument. It would affect the
sound and the e n t i r e s t y l e of i n s t r u m e n t . If the p l u c k i n g l i n e i s s e t
diagonally the wrestplank width is saved, and the curve of the bentside and
bridge are also diminished. However, if one doesn't put the keyboard and the
j a c k s l i d e on a d i a g o n a l , i t makes t h i n g s much e a s i e r . Ruckers emploied
para H e l l plucking line.
Fven though the simplicity of the parallel plucking line is quite apparent,
one can see the diagonal one used frequently in I t a l i a n and German s t y l e . It
may derive from the verginal which was more popular in early times.

f. The Jackslide - The Two-Piece Slides and the Use of Leather

The Ruckers' j a c k s l i d e consists of a two layer arrangement with a movable

upper and a fixed lower. The guide holes of the harpsichord's lower and both
of v i r g i n a l ' s a r e c u t in t h i n l e a t h e r . I t i s easy to make and r e d u c e s
mechanical noise.
One piece jackslide, called boxslide, work better for short jacks which can
be seen in I t a l i a n models.

g. Decoration The Inner Outer is Abandoned, The Use of Paint and Paper

In i t s e a r l y period of development the h a r p s i c h o r d had a p r o t r u d i n g

keyboard. Because of that both s i d e s of the keyboard of f a l s e i n n e r - o u t e r
i n s t r u m e n t s were always d e c o r a t e d with s c r o l l p l a t e s . Many s u r v i v i n g
instruments have decorative remnants of inner outer construction such as those
mentioned above.
The Ruckers' harpsichord and virginal have keyboards b u i l t - i n and do not
protrude. They covered all surfaces of the instrument with decorative motifs.
The outer surface was often painted in a marble p a t t e r n , and the inner surface
decorated with block printed paper. Kxamples of extremely overdone decoration
can be found but generally a simple yet sumptuous design was the r u l e .
30
h. The Rose --- Die-Cast Metal

In general, the soundboard of the harpsichord has a elaborately carved rose

in geometric p a t t e r n s l i k e the l u t e . However Ruckers used a coarse lead d i e -
c a s t rose design of an angel playing the harp and their i n i t i a l s .

i. The Bentside - C-Bent

Through the history of harpsichord, instruments with S-shape bentside were

made frequently. Ruckers, however, made only a C shape bentside and a separated
tail style.

j . Scaling - - - Long Scaling

The scaling, as i t determines the sound and the character of the instrument,
is the most important aspect of i t s c o n s t r u c t i o n . I t is known that Ruckers
adopted a 355mm s c a l i n g using iron s t r i n g . However, because of problems with
pitch and the material of the s t r i n g , more cannot be said about i t here.

Let me point out one remarkable thing here. The methods that the Ruckers'
family introduced a l l pointed the way towards e a s i e r manufacture. I t i s c l e a r
t h a t they undertook mass production. They have made an enoumous number of
instruments, consequently they contributed much to the deveropment of keyboard
music.

D, The Archetypal Harpsichord --- The Archetype and i t s Tradition

The "Ruckers Revolution" brought great change on the history of harpsichord

making through "mass p r o d u c t i o n " . But the t r a d i t i o n of harpsichord making
before Ruckers was succeeded in various c o u n t r i e s , though influenced more or
less by Ruckers' model, and i t s t i l l played a major r o l e on the development of
keyboard music.
Characteristics of an Non-Ruckers s t y l e are well known to appear on Italian
instruments, but we can find them a l s o on the harpsichords and v i r g i n a l s of
other regions. Generally, those are said to be "somewhat I t a l i a n yet more so"
or "median type between I t a l i a n and Flemish". But they c e r t a i n l y are derived
from the archetype, and c h a r a c t e r i s t i c s of the Archetypal Harpsichord. The
Archetypal Harpsichords are instruments which preserve the c h a r a c t e r i s t i c s of
the Archetype, in opposition to the great pressure of Ruckers.
Before Ruckers joined the St. Luke's Guild, some other s i g n i f i c a n t people
joined the g u i l d and made i n s t r u m e n t s , a few of which r e m a i n , ( P r e Ruckers
Flemish), and show some t r a i t s of the Archetypal instruments. I'd also like to
show what Ruckers succeeded from their forerunners.
Following a r e some examples of the Archetypal instrument.:; and t h e i r
noteworthy t r a i t s .

a. The Polygonal Virginal of Joos Rarest

[Joos Karest, 1548, Antwerpen? / Brussels Conservatoirej

Rarest was born sometime before 1500 in Cologne to Hans van Cuelen, ;ind
joined the St.Luke's Guild in 1523* At firr.t glance h i s varnished polygonal
v i r g i n a l resembles I t a l i a n models, but the fact that the keyboard doe:; not
protrude immediately takes o n e ' s eye. It has two g e o m e t r i c a l l y p a t t e r n e d
roses, one is of a round shape and the other is odd shape. The moldinijs around
the edges are thick, and the side panel:, are joined in dovetail joint:;. The
:>,
 31
lower jackguide is quite broad and it forms a second soundboard.
An instrument that closely resembles this has been found in a painting,
"Girl at the virginal" by Catherina Van Hemessen, 1545, Antwerp. One can
clearly identify the dolphin patterns on the instrument in the painting.
"Portrait of the Von Bilhem Family" by Frans Florinz de Vriend, 1565, Antwerp,
shows a virginal decorated outside with garlands of flowers and small birds, and
the thick moldings are painted in a dark color. The highest note is a 2
without g sharp, and this range of C/E to a 2 is very characteristic of
northern European instruments at that period. The left end of the jackrail is
supported by an arm which extends from the left end of the keyboard. This
feature remains as one of traits of English Virginals.

b. The Claviorganum of Lodewijk Theeuwes

(Lodewijk Theeuwes, 1579, London / Victoria and Albert Museum)
Theeuwes joined the St. Luke's Guild in 1579 and then moved to London.
This harpsichord has three sets of strings. Like a virginal, it has square
holes on the soundboard which work as upper jack guide, although to operate the
regeister the lower guides are moved. Nuts are set on the soundboard, and there
are square spaces on both sides of the keyboard, all these features remind one
of a virginal. The bridges seem to have molding in the photograph.

c. The Double Virginal of Marten van der Biest

(Marten van der Biest, 1580, Antwerpen / Germanisches NationalmuseumJ
Biest, as a member of St. Luke's from 1557, was a witness at the wedding of
Hans Ruckers (I). The compass C-c 3 seems to have been enlarged from the
original plan of C/E-c 3 . This spinet-type rectangular (mother and child)
virginal is almost identical to Ruckers', except that the geometrical rose is
startling. It must be mentioned that all of "What Ruckers Bequeathed", I wrote
in the previous chapter, were not invented by Ruckers but regulated and fixed
by them.

d. The Italian Harpsichord

(Hieronymus Bononiensis, 1521, Rome / Victoria and Albert Museum ]
This harpsichord, made by Hieronymus in 1521 in Rome, already has Italian
traits which continued over two centuries. Its dating, 1521, is the oldest one
among extant harpsichords. However i t cannot be decided that the Italian
Harpsichord is the origin of all harpsichords. What position does the Italian
harpsichord occupy? I think the Italian harpsichord is one variation of the
Archetype which was purified by using Italian cypress, an excellent material.

Hieronymus' instrument has a parallel plucking line, which is not typically

Italian. Since the instrument has major reconstruction work done on it in the
past, and has a relativly smooth curve to the bentside, I wonder whether it is
original or not.

e. The Early German Hapsichord

(Hans Muller, 1537, Liepzig / Roma Raccolata Statale di Strumenti Musicali J
Since the prevalent instrument in Northern Europe at this time was the
virginal, a harpsichord is truly novel. At first glance it reminds us of
Italian Style but it seems to have much in common with Rarest's virginal. Its
outer surface shows complex grain of ringed porous wood that reminds one of
Ruckers' Ashgrain paper. The mechanism is a very uncommon one with two string
sets and three registers; the parallel one serves as a Nasal stopO), the other
two being diagonal. The lower jackguide is movable (like Theeuwes). It also
has a movable keyboard so as to shift the pitch.
32
f. The English Virginal
(Stephen Keene, 1668, London / Russell Collection, Edinburgh ]
At a glance it is no different from the Ruckers' spinet-type virginal.
However, the details show many Non-Ruckers t r a i t s ; four wood-carved geometrical
roses, a jackrail support arm extended from the left side of keyboard, a black
keyboard, and a shorter string scale. The case is made from oak and the outer
face is quite plain, yet the inner face is sumptuously decorated with pressed
gold leaf. Having a molding replete with studs like Italian ones, i t gives the
appearance of a false inner-outer. The lid swells like a coffin.

g. The Early English Hamsichord

(Charles Haward, 1683, London / Hovingham Hall, Yorkshire]
I t has four geometrical roses and an S-shaped bentside. I t has two
diagonal plucking lines and once had a parallel Nasal stop like MuIter's.
Having no upper brace i t is supported by broad diagonal lower braces.

h. The Early French Harpsichord

(Jean-Antoine Vaudry, 1681, Paris / Victoria and Albert Museum )
It has a screw-leg stand, chinoiserie decoration, G/H-c 3 compass, and
black naturals double manual with coupler. Its proportion looks as if a small
size Taskin model, but i t shows many Non-Ruckers t r a i t s . The bridge with
molding, and the geometrical rose stand out. The nameboard top is cut down; i t
is thought to be a rest for the score. Using walnut and Lebanon cedar, the side
panels are thinner than Ruckers but are not joined arround the bottom in the
Italian fashion. Having no upper brace i t is supported by broad diagonal lower
braces. The ribs of the soundboard are complex, not neatly arranged as those of
Ruckers' i ns trumen t s .

17th century French instuments have been greatly destroyed and those
remaining are few but i t is true that many great makers were in production.
Among those, Vincent Tibaut's harpsichords are very similar to Vaudrly's. I
have unfortunately no information of the production of the Denis family of Paris,
but there is great interest in their instruments because of the place and time
of their production. Martin Le Roy's beautiful 1685 Italian-like proportion
instrument with a stand of double-screw-legs was destroyed by the bombing in the
World Warn. Michel Richar's 1690 bentside spinet with compass G/H- c 3 , S-
bentside, has scrolls on the both side panne Is of the keyboard as remnants of
false inner-outer. Gilbert Desruisseaux 1670 double manual harpsichord has the
same compass as Richards', S-bentside, remnants s c r o l l s , cut down nameboard,
screw-legs, and besides these unique reverse curved nuts like Italian ones.

i. The 1 8 c . English Harpsichord

(Thomas Hitchcock, early 18C. London / Victoria and Albert Museum]
This early 18c. English harpsichord made of walnut has a S-bentside and
broad diagonal lower braces in i t s inner structure like Haward's. As well as
these Archetypal t r a i t s it has skunk-tail sharps and nasal stop which are 18c.
English t r a i t s .
In 18th century England, where the Industrial Revolution arrived f i r s t ,
the Hitchcock family and the Haward's manufactured bentside s p i n e t s .
Harpsichords were precision manufactured by the Kirckman and Shudi-Broadwood
families untilthe early 19th century. These form a peculiar style reflecting
the special circumstance of the popularization of music in Great Britain.
Because there lies so long a time between the "Ruckers Revolution" and the
late English style, i t is difficult to say clearly which characteristics are
the affect of Ruckers or not.
 33
j . The German Harps ichoru
(Christian Zell, 1728, Hamburg / Museum fur Kunst und Gewerbe]

This German harpsichord has many Archetypal t r a i t s in almost a l l respects

as written in chapter one. However i t has a very d i f f e r e n t feel from the
purified I t a l i a n S t y l e " . Working in Hamburg, Z e l l , the Hass and F l e i s c h e r
families a l l produced Archetypal instruments with S bents ides.
The one manual harpsichord of C h r i s t i a n Vater in Hanover in 1738 has S-
bentside, screw legs, brass scaling, and broad lower braces without upper braces.
(The visual impression of this harpsichord is very similar that of Desruisseaux
for me. I c a n ' t explain the reason here exactly but i t really impressed me with
the great flow of the Archetypal harpsichord.)
Michael Mietcke of Berlin a t t r a c t s our a t t e n t i o n by the r e l a t i o n to J . S .
Bach. His two h a r p s i c h o r d s in C h a r l o t t e n b u r g a r e s a i d to be s i m i l a r in
structure to Z e l l ' s . These were r e b u i l t in the period of Quantz and C.P.E.Bach
simultaneously but curiously they have scalings set exactly a third apart.
A harpsichord a t t r i b u t e d to Gottfried Silbermann and ones by Karl August
Grabner of Dresden have a C bentside, no upper brace inner structure, a diagonal
plucking line, molding on the bridge, a geometrical rose, and other Archetypal
traiIs.

Table 1 is made for a comparative study. I t is simplified for convenience

sake, so there are some obscurity and may be objective opinions.

0> c
_ e -
•w o
• *M
—(B _3 _IN_ '-^
"*
_
•_
© 0) (0
u
-za -o
_ U t— _e CO CO
INSTRUM o o 0) *J
01
-«->
aE
_
-
~»
<0
o
o
X
*-4

u
J-
3
—*
Q.
-o_
(0
••"1
g 2 __
-a
_ c

Rarest 1548 ? o o • • o o -
Theeuwes 1579 o o • o • • A
Van der Biest 1580 • • • • — • • o- c
Hieronymus 1521 o o o o9 • o o O C
Miiller 1537 o o o o— o O
o c
•
Reene 1668 o • o •9 • o
Haward 1683 o o o o 9 o
O s
Vaudry 1681 o o o 6 • • o O C
Tibaut 1679 o o o o • • o • c
Desruisseaux 1670 ? o o o9 • • o O s
Hitchcock 17- o o o • • o no S
Zell 1728 o o o 6 o o o no S
Vater 1738 o o o o • • o O s
Mietcke 17- o o o o o • o no S
Grabner 1782 o o o o o • o O c
Ruckers
Blanchet • A • • • • • • c
Hemsch
Dulcken
Rirckman O A • • • • A • c
Table 1 . The Archetypal T r a i t e s Q and the Ruckers' Traites
 •I

3+
PI, The Classification and The Genealogy of Harpsichord

If we think of harpsichords as being divided into two groups, Archetypal

and the style of Ruckers' new tradition, their classification and genealogy
becomes reasonable and easy to understand. 1 should like to propose a genealogy
here. (Table 2)
The top of the chart represents the hypothetical Archetype. And we can
now also understand the great role of Ruckers family in the history of
harpsichord.

SEIZO YOKOTA
HARPSICHORD MAKER
JAPAN

Archetypal

Archetype

Early-German Pre-Ruckers-Flemish

Ruckers' New Style

Early-English

Early-French Early-Flemish

Ravalement

Italian Flemish-French

German
n
18c. French

18c. English Late Flemish

Table 2 . Genealogy of Harpsichord

 35
fettRHl Co*,*, 937 liav,fre_ Brack
On three well-proportioned alto recorders
"Wer aber sagt, eine Fldte eey eine Flbte,
fur den ist dieses nicht geschrieben"
(Johann Georg Tromlitz 1783)
In 1981 Frans Briiggen gave an insight into h_6 recorder collection
when publishing eighteen workshop drawings (drawn and measured by
Fred Morgan). These sheets seem to be a storehouse for all who try
to comprehend the principles of design and construction used in
the eighteenth century by important makers of recorders (1).
Reflecting the great number of data Fred Morgan has given I always
wonder: What are the dominating points of view when proportioning
recorders? Herbert Heyde says: "Die Verfahrensweisen beim Konstru-
ieren und Proportionieren waren recht verschieden, wobei die
Gestaltungskiinste mancher Meister erstaunlich sind"(2). Analysing
the structure of three famous recorders we can demonstrate
essential principles.
A. Thomas Stanesby sen. took the contemporary linear measure as a
basis (inch=25.378 mm). The sounding length of his recorder is
exactly 18 inches (456.8 mm). That can be reduced to 54 moduli per
1/3 inch, which are proportioned as follows:
centre (head + foot) sounding length
25 (16 t 13 ) 54 moduli
1oo ( 6k * 52 ) 216 lines

•7a

cezia n
Alo 5-S »,

Stanesby made his instrument (drawing sheet VIII) with stupendous

accuracy: there are no tolerances at all! The position of the
central point of the six finger holes is exactly 8 inches i.e.
4/9 sounding length; the position of the first finger hole is
exactly 5/8 sounding length. Dividing the total length according
to the golden section, you will find the main subdivision. The
elected quantity of lines is ideal for proportional thinking:
216 = (2+2+2)*
There is a lot of proportions in it. The proportion we have
detected is of no stringency. 16 experimental knowledge predo-
minant here? Or can we suppose a specific intention in the fact
that Stanesby ha6 preferred two square numbers and a cube for the
sounding length?

measurements according the result of the analysis

to Morgan (in mm): mm line inch foot
sounding length 456.2 456.8 216 18 1 1/2
head(blockline) 135.2 135.35 64 5 1/3
centre 211.3 211.48 1oo 8 1/3
foot 1o9.7 1O9.97 52 4 1/3
first hole 285 285.5 155 11 1/4 5/8 SL
central point 2o3 2o5.o2 96 8 2/3 4/9 SL
3G

B. Independent of Stanesby, Peter Bressan goes his own way. He

prefers a different method of proportioning hi6 luxurious
recorder (drawing sheet X) which is most interesting:
centre : (head + foot) : sounding length
13 : 15 '.28
Thi6 kind of division was first displayed when exploring the
well-known "Flute traversiere de J.J.Quantz" Berlin 5o76 ( 3 ) .
In either case it made use of the fact that in the equilateral
triangle a simple proportion is cryptic: height:6ide - 13:15

f : h. _4fc.M<i • IZ -i
f ^ _ *S I 4 •i -Ah -t-f
ODIszni *&m
_5_a 1
XV
•ft".- •*$•'

-%- -t—_«

The maker of the "Quantzflbte" thus fixed the position of the

first finger hole; Bressan, however , determined the length of the
centre and of the foot and the head at the same time in this way.
In either case the proportion 16:19 is of some importance (see
the illustration).
It is noteworthy that baroque maker s of woodwinds disposed their
instruments in accordance with the equilateral triangle; beyond
that, in 1775, the famous August Gr enser deduced each length that
is part of the sounding length of a traverso immediately from the
pentagram (3).
The procedure Bressan has chosen is rather simple, though it
seems difficult at first:
A line segment, consisting of 1o 5 units, is to be divided
according to the proportion 16:1 9:35, resp. 48:57:1o5.
Considering this line to be a si de of an equilateral triangle,
the height of the triangle will be 91 units. Adding the height
to the side, the sum of 196 unit s is divided according to the
proportion of 13 : 15 : 28 (see above).

Footnotes:
(1) Frans Bruggen/Frederick Morgan: "The Recorder Collection of
Frans Bruggen" Tokyo 1981
(2) Herbert Heyde: "Musikinstrumentenbau" Leipzig 1986, page 87;
concerning measuring units see page 7of.
(3) TIBIA 1989/1.
333f.
(4) The New Grove London 1984 I269 (Maurice Byrne)
 37

That means:
height side (height+side)
13 15 : 28
91 1o5 196 <\A C t v i t
91 (57 + 48) 196
centre (head+foot) sounding length
Bressan took the height a6 the centre
of his recorder and the 6ide for the
sum of head and foot. He thus deduced
all the parts from the equilateral
triangle. A05
We can say that the sequence of numbers <\A
formed by the 7 dominates the procedure. toX
The 28 was thought to be a numerus
perfectus. The sounding length is to
be interpreted as the square number of
the duplicated 7: -,
196 - (7 + 7)
The procedure Bressan preferred convincingly shows a maker of
woodwinds well versed in proportional thinking who employed
arithmetical and geometrical methods at the 6ame time.

aezcot a A(\(o

5>- <\i -t—H8

The next problem is how to interpret the 196 moduli! Is the

sounding length of 45o.5 mm, as Fred Morgan stated, really
identical with 17 3/4 inches (45o.6 mm)? The structure of this
recorder argues against this presumption!
By birth Peter Bressan is the Burgundian Pierre Jaillard from
Bourg-en-Bresse (4). I assume with good reason that he used the
Burgundian foot-rule: Pied de Bourgogne = 331.2 mm
pouce = 27,6 mm
ligne = 2,3 mm
Indeed the sounding length is exactly 196 lignes (Burgundian)!
It is open to question whether Bressan always used the
Burgundian yardstick.
measurements according
to Morgan (in mm) mm ligne pouce moduli
SL 45o.5 45o.8 196 16 1/5 196
centre 2o9.2 2o9.5 91 7 7/12 91
head+foot 241,5 241.5 105 8 5/4 1o5
foot 110.3 11O.4 48 4 48
head 151.o 151.1 57 4 5/4 57
modulus 2.3 1 1/12 1
3.

C. Johann Heitz, "Kbniglicher Hof- und Kunstdrechsler" at Berlin

amongst other things made luxurious recorders too. His instrument
is as long as the recorder made by Bressan. His principle of
proportioning, however, is rather different, but always related to
the 13 (drawing sheet IX): h e a d = 4/l_ S L

foot = 3/13 SL
centre = 6/13 SL
L h o l e = 8/13 SL

ami H__ID>|_
1-3

The linear measure Heitz used i6 to be found rather quickly. We

suppose that Heitz coming from Herrenhof (Sachsen-Gotha) brought
his home foot-rule to Berlin (Full = 287,62 mm). Proceeding from
the presumption that Heitz selected a multiple of 13 for the
sounding length of his recorder we suggest the square number of
the 13: P
169 = 13
measurements according result of the measuring analysis:
to Morgan (in mm): mm modulus= 1 4/9" or 1/9" Zoll
SL 45o,4 45o,o7 13 132=169 18 7/9
head 138,o 138.48 4 52 5 7/9
centre 2o7.6 2o7,72 6 78 8 2/3
foot 1o4,8 1o3,86 3 39 4 1/3
Please remember the elementary proportions Heitz made use of!
foot centre = 1 2
head centre = 2 3
foot head = 3 4
If that is so the Pythagorean Tetraktys 1-2-5-4 seems to be the
standard of proportioning this recorder!
To summarize it briefly:
As to the knowledge of instrument-making modern research has
pointed out important results by analysing authentic baroque
instruments. In our case a number of different ways of
proportioning an alto recorder is manifest. I think we have exposed
three ingenious methods:
Stanesby based his considerations on the cube 216, which set
free two square numbers.
Bressan on the other hand proceeded more geometrico and has
chosen the equilateral triangle for an archetype in connection
with the numerus perfectus 28 (so did the maker of the "Cuantz-
flote").
Heitz however was pleased with the simplicity of the Pythagorean
Tetraktys that was cleverly brought in relation to the 15.
 39

At last I want to lay down a survey of the proportions which are

to be found out throughout the variety of the recorders of the
Briiggen Collection. To illustrate the matter I list up a table
of figures made up in times gone by.
1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
2 5 4 6- lo- 12-
121

y
9 11
3
5
8
4
7
11
5
9J
14
11 J
17
13J"I 15 J
2o 23
17J
26
10
19
29
ll
21-
32
1 12
25
23
35 38
13
13
25-
2S-I

13 38 58 63
J 18
29
23
37
28
45
33
53 61
43
69
48
77
53
85 93 101
21-1
34
55
89
1
144-1
These sequences were steadily used by the flute-makers of baroque
times for the main proportions.
A Head (6entre+foot) total length
B head (centre+foot) sounding length
C centre (head + foot) sounding length
(The Roman figures indicate the number of the drawing sheet)
2 : 3 : 5 D e n n e r U VI) Haka(A XV) Stanesby jun.(A XVI)
Gahn(A XII) W y n e U XII)
3 5 : 8 Bressan(A X) "Quantzflbte"
8 13 :21 Steenbergen(A VII)
55 89: 144 Dupuis(A III)
4 5 - 9 Bressan(C V) Denner(C VI) gahn(C XII) "Quantzflbte"
5 6 :11 Haka(C XV) Steenbergen(C XIV)
6 7 :13 Heitz(C IX)
13 2o:33 Steenbergen(A XIV)
7 8 :15 Stanesby jun.(C XVI)
8 9 : 17 Steenbergen(C VII)
10 11 :21 Stanesby jun.(C I)
12 13:25 Dupuis(C III)

right triangle
("Pythagorai6ches Tripel") Hotteterre(A II) Stanesby jun.(A I)
9:16:25 .-2 .: k2 . _2
"Pythagoraische Tetraktys" Heitz(IX)
1 - 2 - 3 - 4
equilateral triangle Bressan(C X)
15 : 15 : 28
golden section Bressan(A V + A IV) Stanesby sen.(A
VIII)
other proportions*:
3 : 7 : 1o Bressan(B IV+V) Haka(B XV) Steenbergen(B VII+XIV)
Stanesby jun.(B XVI)
4 : 9 : 13 Heitz(B IX)
2 : 5 : 7 Hotteterre(B II)
2* : 19 : .5 Stanesbysen.(B VIII)
25:29:54 Stanesby sen.(C VIII)
5 : 11 : 1 (> Denner(B VI) C,ahn(B XII) Steenbergen( C XIV)
*o

oot : head
3 r4 Denner(VI) Heitz(IX) Stanesby jun.(XVI)
7 : 13 Steenbergen(VIl) (XIV f:H = f:c a 7:13)
16 : 19 Bressan(V+X) "Quantzflbte"
13 : 16 Stanesby sen.(VIII)
9 : 11 Haka(XV)
23 : 26 Hotteterre
some specific figures:
196 = (7*7) 2 = 14 2 Bressan(X)
169 = = 13^ Heitz(lX)
225 = = 15? Steenbergen(VII)
256 _ _ 16 Heitz(IX) Steenbergen(VII)
216 - (2+2+2) 3 Stanesby s e n . ( V I I I )
336 _ 3x7«fi6 Stanesby jun.(I) "Quantzflbte"
198 _ 2x9x11 Haka(XII)

When reading this article some people are likely to be a little

sceptic. They might wonder if flute-making in the 18th century
was really so complicated and affected. But what did Albrecht
Diirer do in 15o4 when he intended to paint Adam and Eve?

After having finished another problem arises. Bruce Haynes said:

"Of all the woodwinds, recorders are the least flexible in
pitch and therefore the most useful as historical pitch
indicators" (Nr. 532g)«
As to the pitch what are the consequences of making a woodwind
according to preconceived geometrical figures? How about the
pitch? When constructing a recorder nobody knows for sure what
the forthcoming result concerning the pitch is likely to be. Was
the maker of a recorder interested in accomodating the sounding
length to a pitch predetermined when the starting length was
previously fixed by an ideal square number or a cube or an
equilateral triangle or the pentagram? What was the first intention:
pitch or measure?
Stanesby's recorder for instance measures 1 1/2 foot in length,
isn't it a sort of pitch-pipe?