instruments

Original Italian Pentagonal Virginal attributed to Francesco Poggi. The instrument is unsigned but is believed to have been built in Florence Italy circa 1590. A signed 1588 Poggi virginal in the Tagliavini collection in Bologna has the same identical rose. See photos. Another unusual feature of this 16th century instrument is its compass. It has a short octave C/E in the base and goes up to f’’’ a total of 50 notes. Underneath the soundboard is written in Italian that it was restored in Grosseto in 1891. It is believed that the stand and painted decoration of the instrument in its current state was from that restoration. The elemental pigment of the lid painting and exterior is zinc white which was not available to artists until 1830. The instrument was found in an antique shop in Fairview Heights IL being sold as an unidentified piece of painted furniture. Restoration by Walter and Berta Burr of Hoosick NY took three years. The original single plank cypress soundboard was preserved in the instrument and carefully flattened with a three-year process of wetting and drying. It currently is strung in brass wire in the bass and P wire and voiced in crow quill.

This 17th Century Flemish Single Manuel Harpsichord is a reproduction of the 1640 Andreas Ruckers the Elder harpsichord in the Yale Collection of Musical Instruments by Walter and Berta Burr of Hoosick NY built in 1981.   A single manual with one 8’, one 4’ set of strings and buff.   C/E short octave c’’’.   It is currently strung with brass wire in the bass and P wire and voiced in crow quill.  

This 17th Century Flemish Double Manuel Harpsichord is a reproduction of the ca.1650 Jan Couchet the Elder harpsichord in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City.   The original instrument a single manual with one 8’ and one 4’ was enlarged in the late 17th century to its current state.   This copy done in 2000 by Walter and Berta Burr of Hoosick NY took five years to complete.   It follows the instrument in its current state of two keyboards three sets of strings two 8’ and one 4’ with four sets of jacks which includes a lute stop.   It has dogleg jacks and a compass fully chromatic of G to d’’’.   The elaborate decoration of gold arabesques on the soundboard, exterior case and the carved and gilded stand follow the original. 

Two true inner outer case Italian Harpsichords built by David Bayer in St. Louis MO in 1977 and 1981. They are not modeled after a particular instrument but follow typical building practices of the 17th century.   Single manual with two 8’ set of strings of brass and a compass of fully chromatic C to d’’’.    Voiced in crow quill.  

This Walter Burr French Harpsichord was commissioned in 1978. The instrument was completed in 1982 by Walter and Berta Burr of Hoosick New York.   It is an exquisite copy of the 1760  Benoist Stehlin instrument built in Paris which now sits at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington D.C.  This instrument was taken to the Smithsonian and in concert played side by side of the original.   A great opportunity for the audience to compare an original with a copy.   The sound was remarkably similar however the older instrument was darker in color and not as bright and fresh as the newer instrument.  

It is a standard five octave, two sets of eight foot strings and one set of four foot strings.  A double manual shove coupler typical of the 18th century instruments of that period.    It is currently strung in brass and P wire,  at the pitch of 392 which recent research has shown to be the more typical pitch level in France in the 1760’s.  It has crow quill plectra and boar’s bristles for the jack springs which duplicates the original plucking mechanism.   The soundboard is painted with the typical 18th idea of “resurrection” the tree once alive, dies being cut down but comes to life again and sings as part of a musical instrument.   The case is a French lacquer with “water guilding” technique used in the gold application of the stand.  

This Viennese Fortepiano was built in 2016 by Paul McNulty in the Czech Republic it is an instrument that replicates fortepianos that would have been built by Anton Walter c. 1805.    It is six octaves with a Viennese prell action (Prellmechanik). The hammer head rests towards the player, the opposite end has a beak which when pressed is caught by the escapement which propels the hammer towards the string.     The small wooden hammers covered by leather make a clean and precise attack with the string giving great clarity and definition to each note.    The instrument is straight strung with no metal harp like modern instruments. 

The decoration on this instrument is Viennese Empire Style.    Mahogany wood from Nigeria, gold ormolu with Egyptian influences on the capitals of the five legs. 

Three knee levers, damper, una corda and moderator.    Bone naturals and ebony sharps. 

Bösendorfer piano commissioned for the Brussels Worlds Fair of 1958 as an instrument to be of Mid Century Modern Design.   There were four or six instruments built with this design (Bösendorfer no longer has records from 1958).    One of the instruments currently sits in the Bösendorfer museum in Vienna. The location of the other instruments is unknown.   This instrument was brought to California in 1958.   Some years later it was donated to a school and was badly damaged.   A piano dealer of Pierres Fine Pianos in LA discovered the instrument and with the soundboard intact refurbished the instrument back to pristine original condition.  

It has a truly elegant and singing sound that exemplifies the quality work of the 1950’s Bösendorfers.

This original 1806 instrument found unplayable in a consignment shop in Santa Barabara CA was restored by Dale Munschy of South Weymouth, MA in 2021.   It was an extremely popular instrument in London, England at the beginning of the 19th century.   It was less expensive than a grand piano, was affordable by the middle class and a symbol of social status.   Young girls were encouraged to learn on these instruments as a “refinement” to enhance their marital prospects.   Their abilities propelled music writing and performance quickly in the course of piano history.