Dear Jack et al
The sales figure I generally heard used for Wolfgang's original
slantside was 10000 units. I suspect this was already more than
amplified, so 15000 is way too generous, even though they only sold
for USD150 to begin. (Calhoun?)
The instrument you've found from 1972 probably reflects the early
influence of David Jacques Way because Wolfgang had already sold the
company and was established in Devon by then. The next overdue
improvement was a bentside!
The kits were a very accessible way to harpsichord ownership as Andrew
remarked, but we must remember the world has changed in many ways
since then. Harpsichords were quite counter-cultural in the 1960s, and
I believe the huge kit market in the States, satisfied by several
companies, was spawned largely by the desire for enthusiasts to have
something to keep them occupied in their basement over the inclement
long winter months. The kits were really a phenomenon of the 1960s and
70s. I built my first with my father's help in 1979.
When a certain critical mass of serious musicians really came to terms
with the harpsichord along with "Early Music", the focus changed from
kits to finished instruments. This probably was happening by the
mid-1980s. The days in the late 70s producing models like the
Zuckermann Flemish Single IX and X in runs of 500 sets of parts are
long gone.
Having said that, those of use closely involved with the instruments
from THE PARIS WORKSHOP are still enthusiastic about the kit concept
and believe that there are still people who love to get involved in
the making of their own harpsichords. But the design and materials of
our own instruments are a far cry from Wolfgang's original production.
The work of all makers has improved since that time, of course.
Some of my colleagues suggest that the stepping stone into the
harpsichord world provided by Wolfgang's kit in the 1960s, is being
emulated today not by the kits, but by the prolific and inexpensive
finished instrument production of certain makers. There is also the
secondhand market including eBay. I personally think we are probably
too close to the phenomenon to be entirely dispassionate--ask me again
in twenty years.
As for the Fortepiano, that has an interesting social history in
itself, with the key figure being Phil Belt first selling his design
to Frank Hubbard who engineered it for production, then going to work
in Stonington for David Way and coming up with the Zuckermann "Stein"
kit. Two hundred of those were produced in a single batch in
Philadelphia I think around 1979--the last output from that facility
and probably twice as many as needed for the market because it took
more than a decade to sell them all. Phil's ex-wife Maribel Meisel who
co-authored the New Grove article was still working in Stonington when
I was there from 1983. Hendrik might be able to tell us how many
Fortepiano kits Frank produced.
At TPW, we have recently made a small run of Fortepiano parts, but we
don't advertize them. They are really not kits. I've not written a
manual for them, and we only supply them to professional makers on
special order. Yes, they might seem expensive (about EUR9000 for
export), but not unduly so for parts produced from better quality
materials and in runs of less than a dozen compared to the hundreds of
the past.
May the harpsichord long survive, and outlive us all.
Regards
CB
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
* C A R E Y B E E B E H A R P S I C H O R D S A U S T R A L I A *
* Associate of Marc Ducornet *
* Sole Australasian Agent for The Paris Workshop *
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
* Global Harpsichord Technology *
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
* Factory 35/17 Lorraine Street, Peakhurst NSW 2210 *
* Telephone: +61 2 9534 2002 Facsimile: +61 2 9534 2531 *
* Mobile Telephone Service: +61 408 239 267 *
* eMail: [log in to unmask] Website: www.hpschd.nu *
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
|
