The Boston Clavichord Society Newsletter Number 12, Spring, 2002

A Note From the Editor

Your editor was p leased to receive several letters in response to her inquiry about

recent and upcoming clavichord activities in the U.S. O n this page is a photo of Gregory Crowell and some of his students at a clavichord presentation at G rand Valley State University in G rand Rapids, MI, where Greg is a fac ulty member and artist in residence. Greg requires all of his harpsichord and organ students at GVSU to take lessons on the clavichord. And he regularly presents the clavicho rd in the music history and theory classes he teaches there.

On Saturday, June 22 Greg will present a lecture/demonstration on the clavichord for the Annual Piano Pedagogy Conference at GVSU. The purpose of the demon­stration will be to introduce piano teachers from around the country to clavicho rd sound and technique, and their implications for interpreting baroque and classical music

on the piano. The clavichord that will be used wi ll be the one in the photo- an instrument built ( 1973/1992) by Tho mas and Barbara Wo lf .after t h e 1789 Schiedmayer.

Michigan is a lso the ho me of Martha Folts. Martha will be performing a concert

Continued on p.3

An Interview with Paul Irvin, Part II

Paul Irvin has been an important part of the American early keyboard scene for

decades, weU-knoum for his fine and painstakingly constructed instruments (one of which is pictured below). In the second half of this two part interview, he and Richard Troeger continue their conversation about his approach to

reconstructing early keyboard instruments.

RT: What are the advantages of making copies of antique instruments? PI: There are several possible reasons for choosing to copy antique instruments. One might d o so in the h ope of learning something (but as mentioned before that wi ll depend on where one " looks"), or because it is easier than designing something

from scratch , or because of the "halo" effect which is presumed to transfer some magic of the antique to the new instrument by association. I do not find this last reason pe rsuas ive, given t he numbe r of "1769 Taskin" harpsichords I have heard which all sound different. The second reason is certainly expeditious for the building process, but smacks somewh at of reproducing fur­ni ture rather than creating a

musical instrument. On the other hand, considering the number of ways there may be of doing it "wrong" compared to "right ," it is certainly nice not to have to "re-invent the wheel."

There are certainly valuable lessons that can be learned from studying historical

clavichords. Some of the ones I have learned are: ( 1) There are a wide variety of ways to build a good sounding clavichord. (2) Two similar looking clavichords can sound quite different. (3) Decoration and workmanship are not accurate ind icators of musical worthiness. ( 4) Historical clav ichords also came in a range of quality, and not all of them are worth copying. (5) Copying was not an historical practice.

So me lessons I have learned while reworking and servicing other clavichords include: ( 1) Overlooked details can seriously undermine an instrument's success. (2) It is a lways possible to change a clavichord's sound. (3) It is often possible to improve a clavichord's sound. ( 4) It is not possible to make all designs sound good.

Increasingly I spend more time listening to what is happening as I build, ra ther than comparing the project's dimensions to a piece of paper. I do have about fi fty d rawings of antique keyboard instruments and I would not give many of them up. (I have drawings of antique clavichords by "anonymous," "Tosi," Specken, Hass, ).H. Silbermann, Friederici, Hoffman, Hubert, Stein, and Lindho lm.) But a drawing and its model a re what the sheet of music is for a musician­only a starting point. Written notes are certainly good to have but they do not guarantee the quality of the outcome. That is determined by the knowledge, creativity, experience, and sweat of the builder.

I must admit that I am far more interested in making very musical instruments than I am in copying somebody else's attempts to build a musical instrument. C reating a musica l instrument was the h is torical purpose of the builders, I believe, not to copy some other builder, even their master.

Certainly for the last ten years the design of all my clavichords has started with an an t ique model and then has often been mod ified, expanded or adjusted where I

Continued on p.3

In This Issue

An Introduction to D. G. Turk

Igor Kipnis 193 1-2002

Owner-built C lavichords

page 2

page 4

in Finland page 5

The Boston Clavichord Society Newsletter, Spring, 2002

On April27, 2002, Sally Fortino will play a recital for the BCS of music by Daniel Gottlob Turk. T his recital will take place at 2pm at the Shirley-Eustis House in Roxbury, MA. In what follows Fortino introduces Turk.

An Introduction to D.G. Tiirk

Daniel Gottlob Turk (1750- 1813) was a German theorist and composer

whose music has largely been ignored by prese nt-da y performers of historical keyboard instruments. Many of his solo sonatas work well on all keyboards, but they are pa rti cularly suited to and conce ived for the clavichord , the instrument Turk studied under the tutelage of Johan Wilhelm Massier in Leipzig.

Turk spent his entire professional life in the city of Halle (G. F. Handel's birthplace), where in 1774 he became Kantor at the Ulrichskirche, several years later ( 1779 ) director of music at the University of Halle, and in 1878, organist and music director at the Marktkirche, the main church in Halle where Wilhelm Fri edemann Bach had earli er been employed. During these years, Turk began publishing keyboard sonatas, which were to become the focus of his compos itional output. His fi rst collection appeared in 1776 and listed 348 subscribers! Subsequent sonata collections for "clavier," organized in to books of six sonatas each, were published regularly until 1789. In addition to these works, T urk composed many smaller pieces (Handstucke, Tonstucke) which were suitable for teaching or as compositions for musical entertainments in the home. These enjoyed particular popularity.

As university music director and church musician Turk produced numerous vocal works, including Lieder and cantatas, and organized many concerts performing his own and other composers' works. His academic duties led him to pursue theoretical discourse as well as practical music, and he began to write various treatises on didactic, liturgical and scientific subjects. These theoretical works were to ensure him a reputation as an excellent teacher and thinker on musical matters. The Clavierschule of 1 789 is probably the most famous of his b.ooks and certainly the most important for clavichord players. Other keyboard-related texts concern the

duties of an organist ( 1787), a figured-bass instruction book ( 179 1) and a thorough examination of var ious temperamen ts (1808).

During the early years of the nineteenth century Turk began to perform the works of Handel, motivated by the success of similar concerts in Leipzig and Berlin under the direction of Johann Adam Hiller. Today's renowned Handel tradition in Halle with its editions and annual festival of Handel's music can trace its origins back to these performances by Daniel Gottlob Turk.

My recital for the Boston C lavichord Society on April 2 7 will be devoted to Turk's "clavier" sonatas and will include works from several of the collections published in Leipzig and Halle in the 1770s and 1780s. The style of these compositions is similar to that of Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach, the other and older esteemed keyboard composer/theorist of the 18'h century, who epitomized the musical aesthe tic of the Ge rman Enlightenment. Turk's sonatas - some for Kenner, others for Liebhaber - incorporate the traits of playful me lody, soulful melancholy, forceful rhythms and strong dynamic change typical of the dual nature of the late 18'" century clav ichord art: Empfindsamkeit (sensitive personal con­templative expression) and Sturm und Orang {literally "storm and stress" - driving energy).

Sally Fortino

Correction We regret an error at the end of the

article by William Youngren in the last issue of the newsletter ("The Songs of C.P.E. Bach") . T he correct number for the C D featuring Die trich Fischer­Dieskau is DG Archiv 435 168-2. - BW

page 2 The Boston Clavichord Society Newsletter, Spring, 2002

The Boston Clavichord Society New-sletter is published by The Boston Clavichord Sociery, P.O. Box 515, Waltham MA 02454.

On the World Wide Web at: http://www.bostonclavichord.org

The Boston Clavichord Sociery is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the promotion of the clavichord and its music. For information on becoming a Friend of the Boston Clavichord Society, please write to the above address.

The Newsletter is published biannually in the spring and in the f.tll, and is sent free to Friends of the Boston Clavichord Sociery. Single copies and back issues can be obtained by writing to the above address.

Editor: Beverly Woodward P.O. Box 515, Waltham MA 02454 Phone/Fax 781 891-0814 E-mail: BostonClavichord@BostonClavichord.org

Graphic Design: Walden Associates www. waldenpottfolio.com

Printer: Allegra Print & Imaging Waltham,MA

Submissions: This Newsletter is a forum for its readers. We welcome articles, letters, questions and other contributions. Copy can be submitted by mail, e-mail or diskette to the Editor. Please contact her about preferred format before making a submission. The copy deadlines are February 15 and September I.

Board of Directors: Richard Troeger, President Peter Sykes, Vice President Beverly Woodward, Treasurer Paul Monsky, Assistant Treasurer Erich Groat, Clerk Mariko lrie, Assistant Clerk Martha DasSarma, Webmaster Alan Durfee Jay Tucker Allan Winkler

Board of Artistic Advisors: Joan Benson Clifford Boehmer Bernard Brauchli Lynn Edward Christopher Hogwood Margaret Irwin-Brandon Mark Kroll Darcy Kuronen William Porter Howard Schott

Paul Irvin , continued from p.l

thought possible in order to suit the taste of the customer for action response and sound, e.g., improvement of tone, sustain, or volume. Documentary evidence for adjusting designs to suit the customer goes back several centuries. The idea that designs are inviolate with a life of their own seems to be a modern notion that somehow attempts to separate the tool from the tool user. A curious idea to the toolmaker. RT: What styles of clavichord do you admire, and why? PI: I admire many different kinds of clavichords from some multiple-fretted designs to late, very large monsters. This admiration falls into three broad areas: sight. sound and feel. I admire a visual design even if it is not to my usual taste decoratively, if it is well proportioned, cohesive. and well executed. My first criterion for a "good" sound is one which makes you want to continue hearing and playing (and I will admit that this is a bit of an indulgence, since many superb musical performances happen with a sound quality that does not meet this standard). Further desiderata are a flexible timbre. a wide dynamic range. a good sustain, the ability to give the player or composer musical ideas, and a responsive, predictable action which does not need the player's conscious attention. RT: How do you feel about hand vs. power tools? PI: I enjoy planing boards by hand, but without a workshop of apprentices. or some spare elbows, I do not find it feasible to perform by hand all the resawing , thicknessing and drilling that is involved in building an instrument. I believe it is possible that the vibrations to which power tools subject wood have an effect on the wood, but I am not yet convinced that for our instruments this possible effect would necessarily be a negative one. I do know from my own experience and that of others that a clavichord which has not been played for a long time seems to have a reduced and relu ctant response compared to its performance before it went dormant. A good day or two of playing, however, usually results in a marked improvement. A similar effect is often also encountered with unused violins. This might seem to indicate that vibrating encourages vibrating, although perhaps the exciting vibrations need to be

over a wider range of frequencies than power tools would normally produce. RT: Do you have comments on the interaction of various factors in a clavichord? PI: Many, many factors are important to the acoustic outcome, but very few, if any, factors are as important by themselves as they are in relation to all the other factors. A factor may be changed in an instrument and markedly affect the performance, but it may improve the performance in one circumstance while it diminishes it in a different circumstance. Changes of listing cloth, string gauges, string materials, bridge pin, key touch depth. and key weighting are certainly some of the factors involved. "Optimums" can only be realized in a specific context, not in isolation.

The wood chosen for a soundboard is doubtless important. However, it is not just the species which matters, but the qualities of a particular board and what kind of sound is desired. I have heard both good-sounding and bad-sounding wood from the same species, and I have heard good-sounding wood from species I would not ordinarily consider for soundboards. At this point I believe the most important job of the soundboard in clavichords is to transfer the energy of the vibrating bridge to the air with as little loss of energy as possible. Since the amount of energy loss is not the same across all frequencies, the resulting sound will get "colored" by the particular boards or species chosen for a soundboard. but other elements of the design and execution also affect the resonance distribution. It is the balancing and adjusting of all these elements, of which the sound board is just one, which determine the final sound.

An instrument I worked on once had an unusual choice ofbridge pin size and material. Hoping to make an improvement, I substituted a more "normal" bridge pin­and the sound became annoyingly harsh and shrill I W hether by chance or intent the original bridge pin was definitely the better choice in this context. That choice in most other contexts, however, would not be the "right" choice. "Good" and "right" only have meaning in a context. It is the system that needs to be understood before effective choices can be made. RT: Any further specifics of your philosophy as a builder?

PI : Build what the music needs, or, at least, what the customer (or you) thinks the music needs. Ques tion everything. Do no t presume. Try to get to first principles. Listen. listen, listen- to your ears and to your feelings. Just because something is easy to see or measure does not mean it is significant, and vice versa. RT: What fmishes, painting styles, and other decorative elements do you prefer/use? PI: I enjoy a variety of approaches. All of my clavichords so far have had natural hardwood finishes, although often with veneering on the inside, and sometimes veneering or marquetry on the outside. One had a decoratively painted soundboard. Some have split lids and some have paneled lids, which are handsome and lighter in weight, but need significantly more labor than the flat variety. Some have music ledges, some have folding music racks, and some have keyboard-wide, hinged-in music desks. Most have turned screw-in legs, but some have one-piece stands. It all depends on the customer's preferences.

Paul Y. Irvin (pirvin@mindsprin~.com)

From the Editor, continued from p.l

for the Academy of Early Music in Ann Arbor on Saturday, April 20. It will feature music by ].S. Bach, Sweelinck, and C.P.E. Bach on the clavichord, as well as music by Forqueray. Byrd. Scarlatti, and ].S. Bach on the harpsichord. The event will take place at the University Lutheran Chapel on Washtenau Avenue. The clavichord that Martha will use was built by Keith Hill after an instrument by Friederici.

David Hertzberg wrote from Miami . Florida , reporting on his own activities and on other events. He played his new Owen Daly clavichord in a "clavichord demonstration" recital at the Boston Early Music Festival in June 2001, and has since given house concerts on this instrument at his home in Miami. He reported that there would be a considerable amount of "clavichording" at the joint meeting of the Midwestern and Southeastern Historical Keyboard Societies scheduled for March 7-9 in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. The proposed program included demonstrations of clavichords as well as performances by Harvey Hinshaw (playing ].S. Bach) and judith Conrad (playing Moravian

Continued on p.4

The Boston Clavichord Society Newsletter, Spring. 2002 page 3

IGOR KIPNIS 1931-2002 I am sad to announce the passing of Igor Kipnis in late January, an event probably known already to our readers. Mr. Kipnis was, of course, one of the best known of America's performers on early keyboard instruments. Recently predeceased by his wife Judith Robison, he is survived by his son Jeremy.

Son of the famous basso Alexander Kipnis, Igor Kipnis made his debut as a harpsichordist in 1959. As a harpsichordist, clavichordist, fortepianist, and duo-pianist on the modern piano, he performed in recital and as solo ist with orchestras throughout the world. He was named Best Harpsichordist in KEYBOARD's readers' polls for 1978 -80 , and Best C lassical Keyboardist for 1982 and 1986. From 1959-2001 he made more than eighty recordings, fifty-five of them solo. He received six Grammy No minations , a Deutsche Schallplatten prize, and three "Record of the Year" awards from Stereo Review. I recall the happiness with which he played for my wife Paulette and me some tracks from a new album of four-hand piano music (on the modern grand) made with his concert partner Karen Kushner. His understanding and love of mus ic were evident in everything he played and in his

ANNOUNCEMENTS Magnano News

T he four th C lavichord Performers' Workshop will be held at the International Centre for Clavichord Studies in Magnano, a small village in the Piedmont region of Italy, September 11-14, 2002 , on the theme "The Clavichord and Its Influence on Harpsichord, Organ and Fortepiano Performance." The tutors will be Derek Adlam, Menno Van Delft, and Bernard Brauchli. T his course will provide an opportunity for advanced players with only limited experience of the clavichord to acquire a clavichord technique, insight into the musical potential of the instrument, and an understanding of the instrument's history and evolution. Daily tuitio~ . group sessions, a nd lectures on topics ranging from iconography to an examination of various types of historical clavichords will be included.

unquenchable enthusiasm. The Boston Clavichord Society was proud to host him for two recitals, in 1999 and 2001.

Igor was a writer with a fine turn of phrase, and produced a great many articles and reviews throughout his career. These appeared in many publications, including Audio, International Piano Quarterly, Schwann/Opus, Stereo Review, Clavier, and the Yale Review. as well as the Washington Post, the New York Post, and the New York Herald Tribune. He edited several music anthologies for Oxford University Press. A t the time of his death , he was working on a biography of his father for Amadeus Press.

A frequent guest on TV and radio, Igor for three seasons hosted his own program, "The Age of Baroque," over WQXR in New York. In 1993 he hosted a syndicated series from Boston's WGBH, "The Classical Organ."

I attended one of Igor 's last public recitals , his first or second as a soloist on the modern piano. It was an afternoon concert in San Francisco. A mong other works he played Mozart 's famous C-minor Fantasia, and the Fantasia that Schubert modelled on it with a profound warmth and clarity that I will never forget. Afterward, a friend and I took him to an early dinner. I remember being surprised when he looked seriously across the table at us and said he did not feel he had the energy to be very

The sixth International Clavichord Sy mposium will be held in Magnano, September 3 -6 , 2003. The plan ning committee is now accepting proposals for papers, performances, and the exhibition of instruments. The committee is especially interested in papers on topics regarding the clavichord before 1700 (building, restoring. pitch, tablature repertoire, technique, MS collections, documentation , etc.) . Proposals for performances should include a program of twenty minutes of music. Proposals for the exhibition of instruments should include all pertinent information on the copy or original to be displayed. All proposals should be addressed to the committee no later than January 15, 2003.

To submit a proposal or for furt her infor­mation on the Magnano events, contact: Muska Antica Magnano, Via Roma 43 , I-13887 Magnano (BI) , Italy. Tel. & fax: +39 015 67 92 60. bbrauchl@worldcom.ch

entertaining. I said, "You just played a recital. Relax and enjoy the meal!" Upon which he smiled and, inevitably, became very entertaining indeed.

To those many who had the good fortune to know him personally, Igor Kipnis will be remembered fondly as a man of brilliant mind , sharp wit and humor, kindly disposition, and great love of life. We will miss him greatly.

Richard Troeger

From the Editor, continued from p.3

devotional music) . At the meeting of the Western Early Keyboard Association in Tempe, Arizona, in April, 2001, clavichord performances also took place. Among the performers were David Hertzberg (playing Louis Cou perin and Mozart) , j ohn Metz (playing ].S. Bach) , Ec kart Sellheim (playing W F. Bach) , and David Yearsley (playing C.P.E. Bach) . In the same month Music Sources in Berkeley, Ca lifornia, presented Susan Alexander-Max in a recital on clavichord and harpsichord of music by C .P.E. Bach and Clementi.

Our readers are encouraged to send further reports to the editor. The next issue of the newsletter will appear in November, 2002. Let us hear about other events that take place or are scheduled for 2002.

Beverly Woodward

Spanish Keyboard Music T he 3rd "Diego Fernandez" International Symposium on Spanish Keyboard Music (15'11-16'11 century) will be held October 11-1 2, 2002, at Mojacar (Province of A lmeria, Andalusia) as part of the 3rd International Festival of Spanish Keyboard Music (FIMTE). T he Festival itself will take place October 11 -14. Papers on the fo llowing subjects will be accepted : Organology. Contributions from archives, theory, literature and iconography. Relationship of li turgical chant, vocal polyphony and keyboard music in the 16th century and early 17th century. Music for keyboard, strings and ensembles: a common repertory? Awareness of tone colors in keyboard music. Contributions to keyboard music from dance a nd po pular songs. Literature in keyboard music. Interpretation and repertory. Proposals for 15-minute papers are welcome. Abstracts of papers

A nnouncements, continued on p.6

page 4 The Boston Clavichord Society Newsletter, Spring, 2002

A Look At Owner .. Built Clavichords in Finland

"Instruments, as we know, are complex coupled systems, any one factor influences and controls every other factor, and some surprisingly small elements in this system of parameters can have a profound influence on the ·working of the whole piece."

This sta tement from an interview with De rek Adlam in Clavichord Inter­

national ( vol. 1, no. 2, 1997) is certainly true, and its implications are a major reason for clavichord owners to do an honest check­up of their instruments every once in awhile. Some hold the view that a clavichord is never really "finished," the only exception being historical instruments that are better left in peace.

During the last 20 years, quite a few clavichords have been built by enthusiasts in both Sweden and Finland. The build ing experience has become a passion for many, thus encouraging a product development that is based on a thorough understanding of what works well and where improvements may be needed. Starting in the early 80's with the summe r courses at Marholmen, close to Stockholm, copies of seve ra l Swed ish clavichord originals have become targe ts of ex tensive research-through­building. As the flourishing of clavichords in Finland stems from HansErik Svensson 's work at Marholmen, it was only natural that he should supervise maintenance work at a five-day course, July 2-7, 2001, organized by the Finnish C lavichord Society and the Ku op io Departme nt of the Sibe li us Academy. This event collected some 20 clavichords and three harpsichords.

The course started with an assembly in the main hall of the Kuopio Music Centre where the instruments were put on d isplay. Initia lly, a ll instruments were heard in improv isa tio ns by Mikko Korhonen, lecture r in clav ich o rd p layi ng a nd improvisation. There fo llowed Svensson 's suggest ions for what measures would be in order for each one of them.

Not surprisingly 14 of the clavichords were of the most popular make in Finland, the Wahlstrom model. The variants of it in

Finland are so many today that we can almost compare it to a car make that has been in production for decades. There is always something new to be tried out. The earliest one at this gathering was built in 1986 and the most recent in 2000. We also had a look at five of Pekka Vapaavuori's W c1hlstroms, which were the object of his recently presented thesis (Five Variations on the Theme of Anders Wahlstrom: Variations in Sound and Playability in Reconstructions of the Wahlstrom Clavichord. Sibelius Academy, Kuopio Departme nt, 2001 ). His last modification before the presentation of his thesis consisted of trying out new over­wound strings from the workshop of Arno Pelto and new materials for damping cloth provided by Richard Troeger of the Boston C lavichord Society.

As the clavichords were kept in playing

condition throughout the course, they were heard every afternoon so participants could judge for themselves what effect the day's work had on the instruments. Ideal sound quality and how it could be achieved was thorough! y d iscussed. Emphasis was also put on effortless playing and perfect control of the act ion. Many things were taken into consideration; for instance, proper tangent surfaces, correct angle ofbridgepins, and not least , enough down bearing on the left side of the bridge (to avoid the risk of strings touching a bridge 's top surface). Different possibilities of weaving damping cloth were tried. As many prefer a tight weave, a separate thread in the space between tangent and weave was added between choirs to separate strings that were otherwise pulled too closely together. T he result was a longer, sustaining tone.

Lectures on historical tuning practises we re give n by Svensson and were

demonstrated on a harpsichord. Private tutoring in tuning on the participants' clavichords was a daily routine.

Participants in the instrument-bui lding course being held some 30 miles southeast of Kuopio made a visit one afternoon. It is in the interest of the Finnish C lavichord Society to point out that assembling a clavichord during a fortnight's course does not provide one with a "ready" instrument. Instead it is poss ible to come out with something that, with d iligent further action through the understanding of the working of a clavichord, may turn into a really good specimen. Time and lots of playing usually provide many clues as to the whys and hows.

In add ition to the clavichords based on the Wahlstrom model, six other clavichords were studied and improved. Three of these were Swed ish clavichords based on

the Musikmuseet 's "Anonymus" from c irca 1 700-double-fretted instruments with a broken short octave and a very sweet sound. The other three were large clavichords based on Jacob Philip Specken. One was a copy of the original four­octave Specken at the Musik­museet, the o ther two were the Svensson five-octave version based on the same instrument. (These were built by Pekka Vapaavuori and Mikko Korhonen respect ively.) The four-octave Specken (built at

Marholmen by Kenneth Sparr of Sweden) has after 12 years of playing, and as a result of careful pos t-construction measures, matured into an exqu isite­sounding instrument. It was heard at the week's only rec ital , which was held at Kuopio Cathedral Chapel. During this event (Ms) Maritta Virtanen and Johan Fornas perfo rmed late 18 th century repertory on the Specken and (Ms) Eija Yirtanen played pieces from the Buxheimer Orgelbuch on an Arnault de Zwolle-copy. Pekka Vapaavuori, harpsichord, and Markus Kuikka, viola da gamba, performed a sonata by J .S. Bach.

Johan Fornii.s

]ohan Forniis is the FCS secretary and webmaster. In early 2003, the next FCS Clavichord Days will be held in Turku!Abo, focusing on Swedish IB'h century keyboard instruments. Contacts welcome at j fornas@siba. fi

The Boston C lavichord Society Newsletter, Spring. 2002 page 5

Re~e~: ,.The Hubert: -~ ) X, ·Ci;~ichotd Data'Bool{Ek ~ (

Koen Vermeij, The Hubert Clavichord Data Book ISBN 90-73029-10-4. 30 x 22 em, 280 pages, 683 photographs, hardback. Price: US$ 95, subject to rates of exchange.

In August 2000, the Dutch clavichord specialist Koen Yermeij published his study of the extant clavichords by C hristian Gottlob Hubert (1714-1793). Based on fifteen years of resea rch, The Hubert Clavichord Data Book is addressed to general lovers of the clavichord, as we ll as to

instrument builders and organologists. The former may enjoy the more than 650 photos (450 of these being close-ups), which wi ll help to evoke a feeling of nearness to the instruments presented. The latter will find over 9000 figures and facts, which may be of use for designing and building or will allow research into organological subjects. The author has endeavored to present data in as transparent a way as possible, using diagrams and introduc ing 'icons,' small symboli c pictures that revea l certa in properties of the instruments at a glance. After an introduction, which includes a biographical no te on Hubert, ge neral characteristics of Hubert's clavichords, and a note on the research, eighteen 12-page descriptions of the instruments follow. T he book concludes with five tables in which all items of the descript ions can be found for comparison, and with a postscript giving some examples of how the presented data can be analyzed. The book is a publication of the Clavichord International Press, a small private press, supported by the Dutch C lavichord Society, which also publishes the magazine Clavichord International twice a year. The book is produced by using computerized typesetting and printing techniques: each copy is an 'original ,' printed directly from hard disk and bound in a special cover which allows the book to lie flat. The book may be ordered directly from t h e publisher at C lavich ord International Press, Gladiolenlaan 19, NL-2121 SM Bennebroek, The Netherlands. Fax: +31 2358 45690. kv@cipress .nl

Announcements , continued from p.4

should not exceed 250 words and should be typed or printed. At the bottom of the abstract there should appear the author's name, institutional affiliat ion or city of residence and full return address, including e-mai l add ress and fax number where possible. Official languages: English and Spanish. Deadline for abstracts: July 15, 2002 . Sympos ium fee (including Symposium dinner): 80 euros. For further information, con tac t : Luisa Mora les, FIMT E, Apdo. 212 Garruch a 04630, Almeria ESPANA. Tel-Fax: + 34 950132285. fimte@wanadoo.es

The Friends of Musical Instruments at Boston's Museum of Fine Arts

Boston's Museum of Fine Arts is the home of a we ll-known Co llecti on of Musical Instruments that contains many keyboard instruments, including clav i­chords. The curator of the collection, Darcy Kuronen, a member of the BCS Board of Artistic Advisers, has recently established the Friends of Musical Instruments at the MFA. T his group is devoted to fostering understanding and appreciation of musical instruments of all types. T hrough lectures, demonstra tions, and concerts, members learn about various facets of instruments fro m around the world and throughout

The Boston Clavichord Society P.O. BOX 515 WALTHAM, MA 02454

h istory. Diverse programs draw on the muse um's encyclopedic co llect ion of instruments, with presentations by distinguished scholars, pe rformers, collectors, and craftsmen. Field trips include visits to the shops of noted instrument makers a nd other co llec ti ons in the Northeast. There is one event remaining in this season's program. It is a lecture by Kuronen entitled "From Cre hore to Chickering: Pianos of Early Boston." The lecture will take place on Wednesday, May 1, 2002, at 7pm in the Musica l Instruments Gallery at the MFA. For further information about the Friends, contact dkuronen@mfa. org

Cortona Keyboard Course A course for advanced k eyboa rd

students on Italian keyboard music for early keyboard instruments will be offered by Christopher S tembridge and Ella Sevskaya in Cortona, Italy, August 16-23, 2002. The instruments available will be clavichords, lute harpsichord, harpsichords, and fortep iano. (Some no n- Ita li an repertoire relevant to these instruments may also be studied.) T he fee for active students will be approximate ly 300 euros (to be co n firmed), for aud i to rs 200 e uros. Accommodati on can be ar ranged on request. For further information, contact stembridge@quilisma.co. uk

page 6 The Boston Clavichord Society Newsletter, Spring, 2002