Bleuthner, history of piano tuners/technicians

[Dennis Johnson]

At  1:51 PM 10/22/94 -0600, Michael Wathen 556-9565 wrote:
>A. Hipkins is a self made historian.  Everything he says must me taken with a
>grain of salt.  He personally claims to have forced the entire Broadwood
>Factory
>to tune using Equal Temperament (he was foreman of the factory for a while).
>He is the person most responsible for starting the believe that J.S. Bach was
>a
>advocate of Equal-Temperament.



Michael:
        I was inclined to send this privately, but it is only fair that I
defend my comments publicly and I do not think it overreacting when my
recommendations are blasted without qualification.  Naturally, Hipkins'
work must be "taken with a little salt", not unlike countless other authors
throughout the past and present.  Would you boycott the whole of
Kirgegaard's work for his views on women?  Do you own or enjoy any of
Wagner's music?  Hipkins' claims of bringing equal temperament to
Broadwood's  must be understood in the context of how that term was defined
in the mid-19th century.  Owen shares much detail on this point and that is
actually a fundamental issue of his new book.  The fact that Hipkins claims
regarding equal temperament, or that his connection to Chopin is overrated,
this does not change the reality that he was undeniably the most
influential piano technician in Europe during the late 19th century for at
least 40 years, and he was friends to some of the greatest minds in Europe
at the time, including Helmholz. He did passionately promote Chopin's music
in England during the 50's and 60's, gave many
lecture/demonstration/recitals on early instruments, and was one of the
first to insist that Cristofori was the true inventor of the piano- not
Johann Schroter.  An argument could also be made he probably bears the
greatest single responsibility for Broadwood's eventual demise, due to his
resistance toward incorporating modern methods at the factory and of using
a plate, rather than bars.  Only after he retired did Broadwood make these
changes, but it was too late.
        I have enjoyed Jack Greenfield's acticles over the years as much as
anyone and his monthly chapters on the history of pianos, builders, pitch,
and tuning are invaluable.  If memory serves however, Ron had requested
reading on the history of piano tuner/technicians- a somewhat different
story- and I think that Jack would agree with me that any kind
comprehensive history of technicians is yet to be written.  Hipkins was
very prolific and not only was his "History of the Pianoforte" extremely
influential for decades and a first of its kind, but it was written by a
technician.  The other sources I listed, (D. Wainwright's book on
Broadwoods) give enough context to keep Hipkins in perspective, but he is
probably kinder to him than you would prefer, Michael.




Dennis Johnson
St. Olaf College
johnsond@stolaf.edu