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Subject:
From:
Bill Jurgenson <[log in to unmask]>
Reply To:
Harpsichords and Related Topics <[log in to unmask]>
Date:
Sat, 16 Feb 2008 10:11:04 +0100
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On Fri, 15 Feb 2008 16:26:32 -0500, Tilman Skowroneck wrote:
> Rainer Schütze
> springs to mind, who in the Stuttgart conference in 1982 or 1983 (I forget)
> had a harpsichord with a multibly split bass bridge. Looked pretty cute
> really. 
He took the idea from Cristofori and credited him eith it, too. The 
instrument was one of his early "Mephistos," 
pure Rainer but purporting to be German -  which after all it was since 
it came from Raine's shop in Heidelberg.
In this cae, it was with individual small bridges for each subsequent 
choir
> He also held a speech about the construction. Bill will perhaps
> remember what he said
He didn't say much of anything substantial - typical Rainer - because 
he was a firm believer in shop secrets and this was one of his most 
guarded. The instrument had a live nut, an angled gap and may have had 
splayed guides, and an interior acoustic bottom. He experimented a 
great deal with these details.
It was 1982 and he also had his first incarnation of a Tangi action, 
his idea with no relation to  Spaeth and Schmahl, of course in 
injection-molded Delrin mounted as a model and striking a large red 
wine glass. The red wine glass was particularly important to him, as a 
joke that divided the wheat from the chaff so to speak and because he 
was a connossieur of good wines.

> - there were other speeches there that worried me
> more...I forgot this one.

I remember. The entire German "establishment" was there and with one or 
more instruments: Neupert (father! and son), Wittmayer (Kurt and 
daughter Susanne), Martin Sassmann, Eckehart Merzdorf, Zahl if remember 
right, Schuetze, even I had an Italian there.
Sassmann reserved a table at the Ratskeller for the German builders 
including myself for the evening where he wanted to discuss to the 
formation of a German professional group - typical Martin and typically 
German, too. It ended almost with a fist fight between Schuetze on the 
one hand and Martin with support from Kurt on th other. Only too much 
wine, which neither Martin nor Rainer could handle well kept things at 
bay, ending with Kurt and I drinking the rest under the table and 
proceeding on to the next inn to continue, finally getting expelled 
from a Yugoslav place not far from the Hospital Hof at 4:30 in the 
morning, still on relatively even keel.
Not part of Tilmans' recollections I am sure. We, Kurt and I, repeated 
this performance several times after in the years to come. 

Back to Stuttgart.

Tilman's father was there to give a talk. He spoke about working 
methods and esthetic as I remember and around and behind me some 
"quarters" (not Schuetze or Merzdorf) were muttering to the effect, ' 
don't listen; he is the devil...' This I remember as if it was 
yesterday.

I think Tilman was probably thinking of Scholz and the so-called 
restauration of the Friedrich Ring hpschd which Scholz ruined for good. 
He gave a lenthy lecture with slides on this deed. The f--ked up 
original was there (completely boring) as well ans a "copy" (slightly 
better than the original) made by a hobby builder in Ludwigsburg, who's 
name escapes me at the moment. This must have been 1982 since this guy 
had his Lautenklavier at the subsequent "Rillingfest." 

Wittmayer had the Brussels Johannes R. muselaer there which he had 
restored and he talked about the restauration and showed pictures of 
this as well and played it.
The discussions after these talks were heated... 

Maybe I have mixed the two Stuttgart event together, tho...

b

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