Early Julius Bluthner

[Gevaert Pierre]

Hi Conrad, Joe, Richard,

What I was thinking about when saying "a piece for a museum" was that such
an old Bluthner has certainly a historical value for a museum. I to would
prefer to get such an instrument into playing condition. (thanks Conrad for
the kind words)
In our museum (and I suppose in most) you have the pros and cons concerning
the fact that such instruments would be used for concerts. In Paris (Cité de
la Musique)  they have  limited the playing time on each instrument at XX
hours a year, depending of the state and fragility.
Here we had to stop playing on a Stein pianoforte from 1789 because there
where mecanical parts wich were starting to break. Of course on such a rare
piano they want us as much as possible to preserve the original parts.
To avoid this in Paris they have made copys from actions for some pianos and
put the original aside.
There again you have the pros and the cons. (musicians often prefere to play
on originals)
What we try to do when we want to restore a historical piano is to try to
find another identical instrument and restore the one that has the best
state while keeping the other one for historical reasons.

For the moment I'm restoring an Erard square from 1805  wich is remarkably
well preserved compared to the identical one from 1804. It has an action
with double pilots and no escapement.
As there is verry little known about how to regulate those I'd like to ask
if someone has ever regulated this type of actions before? Maybe Joe
(square) Garett??? I suppose the most squares you've seen had an action with
escapement?
What I'd like to know is what was the key dip and the play between the two
pilots. Made some experiments and it works about but it could certainly be
better.
It is funny to see this primitive action from Erard when you see what he
invented only 15 years later, yes, the modern grand double escapement
action!!!

Pierre Gevaert
Belgium







----- Original Message -----
From: "Conrad Hoffsommer" <hoffsoco@luther.edu>
To: "Pianotech" <pianotech@ptg.org>
Sent: Tuesday, February 01, 2005 1:35 AM
Subject: Re: Early Julius Bluthner


> At 17:43 1/31/2005, you wrote:
> >Pierre, (dehydrated Frenchman<G>), said: "Looks like a piece for a
museum!!"
> >
> >Pierre,
> >Yeah. Right. So it can sit, w/o ever being played and just rots! NOT!
That
> >would surely be a waste, IMO.
> >
> >Joe Garrett, R.P.T.
> >Captain, Tool Police
> >Squares R I
>
>
> Not at Pierre's museum!  Many of those on exhibit and also in storage
> awaiting their turn _are_ playable and _ are_ played.  You really should
> get to MIM and see the work Pierre and the others do there.
>
>
>
>
>
> Conrad Hoffsommer
>
> Early to rise: early to bed;
> Makes a man healthy, and socially dead.
>
>
> _______________________________________________
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>
>