playable Cristofori, was Nobuo Yamamoto

[Kent Swafford]

Ah! Thanks Ric. The video doesn't refer to _that_ restoration but a recent
restoration by one Stewart Pollens. I couldn't understand why the museum
would allow the instrument to be restored. It would make much more sense to
leave the original alone and use it only as a pattern to make an accurate
copy. But if this instrument was not completely "original", then I guess it
made sense to let someone restore it.

Kent

on 5/19/00 1:27 AM, Richard Moody at remoody@midstatesd.net wrote:

>> The tape says there are 3 Cristofori
>> pianos extant, one of which, owned by the New York Metropolitan Museum, is
>> playable. The restorer of the instrument was named, but I don't remember
> it
>> just now. The tape contains a recording of Paul Badura-Skoda playing a
>> Domenico Scarlatti sonata on the Cristofori instrument. The instrument
>> looked like it was about to fall over, but the sound was lovely. Highly
>> recommended.
>> 
>> Kent Swafford
> 
> This is from the article "Pianoforte" by A J Hipkins and K S. (Kathleen
> Slasinger? sp?) in Britannica eleventh edition. c 1908---mentions two
> Cristofori instruments, one in the Metropolitan Museum in NY and another in
> the Kraus Museum, Florence.
> The MM piano , "has undergone considerable restoration, the original hollow
> hammer-head having been replaced by a modern one, and the hammer-butt,
> instead of being centred by means of the  holes provided by Cristofori
> himself for the purpose, having been lengthened by a leather hinge screwed
> to the block....but the Krause Museum (one) retains the original leather
> hammer-heads."
> A drawing shows  "Cristofori's Escapement Action, 1720.  Restored in 1875 by
> Cesare Ponsicchi."
> A footnote gives the information of the restoration as , "Communicated
> by Baron Alexander Kraus (May 1908). "
> 
> I should note that a photocopy of the article was provided by Kenneth
> Klauss, of the Klauss Archives and James Gallery in Parkston South Dakota.
> ---ric