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<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Hi there,</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>What follows was meant for all of you =
who so kindly
answered my intro. By mistake, I sent it by reply mail to Clyde's =
private email
address. Sorry Clyde.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>jjg</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>---------------------</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Hello,</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Thanks for the red carpet welcome =
treatment :-)
</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>I am half Polish and half French =
and I was
born in Poland. When I was 2 (1963) my parents moved to North America. =
There
(Georgia, Oregon, Quebec), I went to school and I learned English and =
French.
That explains my English. I have been playing the piano since age 5, but =
I am
<FONT face=Arial size=2>a historian by trade (McGill University, =
comparative
history, East-Central Europe, 16th and 17th centuries). I came back to =
Poland to
complete my masters degree, and we (wife and I) just stayed. Life is =
somewhat
less hectic here than in the west, and being here at this time is like =
being
part of history in the making. I work as a translator though, as =
there's
not much you can do with a history degree that would be materially =
rewarding ...
</FONT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>I started working on pianos in 1982 in =
Montreal, at
a place called Pavillion du Piano. The place was run by Zsolt =
Derzsi-Pap, a
school teacher originally from Hungary, for whom pianos were a passion. =
He had -
sadly - missed his vocation in life, for he would have made a great =
tenor
singer. He had unbelievable charisma and panache: Imagine unloading a =
piano from
the back of a truck to the sound of Neapolitan arias being sung live as
passersby stop to listen and gaze. That man, and others in the shop (it =
was a
four-men outfit, me included) taught me most of what I know about =
pianos. The
true artist to the last, Zsolt had to sell his business, as he cared =
more about
the instrument than about making a buck (sounds familiar?). It was =
bought by
Josef Rosch, who packed his bags and went to practice in =
Alberta. Rosch now
has a thriving business, which began thanks to the large piano and =
machine stock
he acquired from Zsolt. For a time, I continued working with Zsolt
in his garage (he bought a home that had belonged to a =
restorer of old
automobiles, and had a six car garage that Zsolt convereted into a piano =
shop).
I worked on pianos and went to university at the same time. So, full =
time
employment in the piano business lasted only 5 years in my case. Once a =
year
during that time, we would rent a 24 foot truck and drive down to =
(Jim?)
Ahern's place in Boston, our main source of pianos for
rebuilding. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>I now rebuild the occasional piano, =
just for the
pleasure of it. I don't have the experience of most people here, and I =
won't
tackle anything I don't know how to do. I have "specialised" over time =
in
rebuilding and refinishing the entire piano, save for the action. I =
especially
like pinblock, soundboard, bridge, casting, and stringing =
work.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>I am a admirer of the Boston school of =
piano making
from before WWI: I once was the proud owner of a 7 foot 6 Mason and =
Hamlin screw
stringer that had a sustain in the bass that just wouldn't quit. Playing =
that
piano was like riding a magic carpet above the clouds. Also from Boston, =
my most
memorable rebuild was a 9 foot + Chickering concert grand from the =
1890s. What a
beauty !!! It had a foot long Legion d'Honneur on the casting and
an independent "mini" pinblock </FONT><FONT face=Arial =
size=2>imbedded into
the casting for each stringing section (little piece of pinblock, about =
a foot
by 6 inches). Think of the fitting job. By the way, no epoxy glue or =
other slimy
fillers for me, solely graphite and chalk assisted work. No need to go =
over what
those pianos sounded like ... I have a picture of that piano refinished
somewhere. Maybe I should post it here. I still have a 6 foot New =
England Piano
Co. Nice little instrument. Great bass for the size, mellow mid-range =
and lovely
singing upper.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Well, you must be yawning by =
now...</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Will be reading the post avidly, =
</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Jean-Jacques Granas</FONT></DIV></DIV>
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