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April 2016 PTA’s Schimmel Training Day at Forsyth, Manchester Training at the Piano Technology School, Northampton Attendees at start of Training Day Finchcocks Musical Museum For Sale
April 2016
PTA’s Schimmel Training Day at Forsyth, Manchester
Training at the Piano Technology School, Northampton
Attendees at start of Training Day Finchcocks Musical Museum For Sale
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Editorial — 4President Writes — 5Obituary Des Smeaton — 5Membership News — 6Obituary Neville Tostevin — 7PTA Training Day at Forsyth — 8PTA Training Day — 10
Tuning Forks — 11CRB Checks — 12Visit to Piano Technology School — 15Images from Piano History — No 10 — 16Piano Picture Puzzle — 18Europiano — 18Finchcocks Sale — 20Letters to the Editor — 21Council Report — 22PTA Diary — 23
The next deadline for PTA News is: Friday 20th May 2016.PTA News is the Newsletter of the Pianoforte Tuners’ Association. All views expressed are
those of the contributors, not necessarily reflecting those of the PTA or the editorial team.Please send items for publication to ‘The Editor’, preferably via email with photographs sent
separately from the text. Posted items can only be returned if accompanied by an SAE.Please obtain the necessary permission before submitting copyright items.
PTA News, 49 South Hamilton Street, KILMARNOCK, KA1 2DTEmail: [email protected]
To advertise in PTA News, at very reasonable rates, please contact:Mr Stephen Venn, 96 Anmore Road, Denmead, WATERLOOVILLE PO7 6NT.
Email: [email protected]
CONTENTS
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I would like to remind all readers that Mr RichardDain and Phoenix pianos at Hurstwood Farm Piano Studios,Kent make pianos in the UK as do John Broadwood & SonsLtd, in Lythe, North Yorkshire. The statement in the advert for the trip to thetuning fork factory in the last issue of the PTAN that ‘Cavendish are the onlyBritish makers remaining in the UK’ is factually incorrect. I apologise toMr Dain and Dr Laurence for the error. Please look at the websiteswww.phoenixpianos.co.uk and www.broadwood.co.uk for more information.
It is always sad to have to report the deaths of any PTA Members and wehave just lost Honorary Member and past President, Mr Des Smeaton, andanother Honorary Member, Mr Neville Tostevin, who had been veryinvolved in the PTA in the past. Their obituaries are on pages 5 and 7.
There are two reports on the super Schimmel Training Day here whichgive a real flavour of the day. Photographs by Emma Loat and Anne Burton.
Keep up to date with the regulations on CRB checks on page 12.Gary Whiteland recently visited the Piano Technology School,
Northampton run by Steve Droy and DJ Smallman and his article appears onpage 15 along with some photographs Gary took on the day.
In ‘Images from Piano History — No 10’, Dr Alastair Laurence tells uson page 16 about the Broadwood piano that was sent to Beethoven in 1817.
Unfortunately the first photograph in the last Picture Quiz was a casualtyof the problems that I had been experiencing in making the newsletter whichmade it impossible to guess that one without the clue. The photograph hasbeen inserted correctly this time, pp. 18 and 19; I hope that you will sendyour efforts to solve the quiz to Nigel who will let you know how you fared.
I have been lucky enough to visit Finchcocks Musical Museum severaltimes and enjoyed the experience of playing the instruments in RichardBurnett’s collection there. As the house is now for sale, a large part of thecollection of early keyboards (part one of the sale) and items from theMusical Museum (part two) are to be auctioned by Dreweatts & Bloomsburyat Donnington Priory, Newbury on May 11th. There are 99 lots in part oneand some sale guide prices start from £50 for some very interesting items.Further details are on page 20. Thank you to Dreweatts & Bloomsbury fortheir photographs and permission to use some text in this newsletter.
EDITORIAL
DEADLINE FOR PTAN ARTICLES: FRIDAY 20th May 2016 Articles, letters and photos to: [email protected] or to address on page 3.
Please email photographs and text separately.
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THE PRESIDENT WRITESANNE BURTON
I would like to thank Robert Parr very much andcredit him for recording and creating the sound files for theFebruary 2016 PTAN.
We had a marvellous Training Day at Forsyth’s in Manchester and the PTAwould like to thank Simon and Emma Loat and Schimmel Pianos very muchfor making it the great success that it was.
Along with Brian Frost, I will attend the Europiano General Meeting onFriday 8th April and visit the Frankfurt Musikmesse. I hope to meet ourEuropean colleagues and manufacturers and see how the PTA can benefit fromthese connections. A report from the General Meeting of Europiano shouldappear in the next issue of this newsletter.
Prior to his return to Japan, Manabu Arimori from Kawai very generouslydonated a Hibiki tuning lever to the PTA. This gift will allow Members to trythis tool for themselves and to feel (and hear) the difference that such a well-crafted fit on a tuning pin produces. The tuning lever will be brought to theConvention and to subsequent PTA events. The fit is perfect for all Japanesepianos but other size tips would be required to accommodate other (particularlyolder) makes of pianos. I tried the lever when tuning a Kawai and Yamahatogether and was astonished at the extra control and finesse that wasachievable; I highly recommend the Hibiki lever!
I’m looking forward to the Convention in Barnstaple and hope to meetStudents from Newark and The Piano Technology School at the ‘How to Passthe PTA Test’ class on the Friday.
Our AGM is on Saturday 14th May at 11.30am. There are some vacancieson the Executive Council; please support your Association by standing.
Anne BurtonPTA President
It is with great sadness that we have learnedof the death of the second working President,Mr Des Smeaton. Mr Smeaton, President from1981 to 1985 was found deceased at his property onTuesday 15th March 2016. We would like to extendour condolences to his family.
OBITUARY DES SMEATON
This photograph is from the one on page 130 and also on the back cover ofLes Sherlock’s PTA History 1913-2013 and it was taken by Andrew Jamiesonat the Centenary Celebrations in Bournemouth in 2013.
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MEMBERSHIP NEWSANNETTE SUMMERSA warm welcome to new PTA Associate:A1385 Mr Manibu Arimori 347-8-201 Sunayama-cho Kamamatsu City Shizuoka
Japan 430-0926Email: [email protected]
An application to become a PTA Member has been received from: Mr James Beckwith 195 Leahurst Road Hither Green LONDON SE13 5LS Tel: 07572 400033 Email: [email protected] note these changes to the 2015/2016 Yearbook:
1219 Mr A K Briggs (new address and telephone number) 1 Stoke Croft BRISTOL BS1 3PL
Tel: 0117 9241151
996 Mr M Smith (telephone and email remain the same) 188 Thorpe Road CLACKTON Essex CO15 4PS
Please send all changes of address, telephone and email to The Secretaryusing the contact details on Page 23.
LOST AND FOUND
A tool left at the Training Day has some engraved letters on it.To identify it and claim it, please contact Anne Burton 01563 551530.
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OBITUARY NEVILLE TOSTEVIN, 1930-2016MY LIFE
I was born in Guernsey in 1930 andwas diagnosed blind as an infant.I entered the Royal Normal College forthe Blind in London in 1937 but was sentback to Guernsey at the outbreak of war in1939. I lived in Guernsey under theGerman Occupation from 1940-1945.During the last year of the war, there wasvery little food on the island and noheating of any sort during the winter of1944/45! I studied music and general subjects at the home of the localGuernsey Blind Association until 1948. I returned to the Royal NormalCollege, which had moved to Shrewsbury, where I studied music and pianotechnology for four years. I obtained Diplomas in piano and organ and I alsoqualified as a piano technician.
I left College in 1952 and started a tuning connection in Shrewsbury. I helda post as organist at St. Michael’s Church, Shrewsbury. In 1953, I obtainedemployment as piano technician to a very high class Piano Company inHanley, Stoke-on- Trent, and was able to further my studies with Mr. Watsonin piano technology as well as carrying out tunings, extensively in privatehouses and public buildings. I obtained an organ post at St. John’s Church,Longton, Stoke-on-Trent.
In 1956 I returned to the Royal Normal College to take up a post teachingin the piano repair department. I met Mavis, my wife, in 1956 whilst still inStoke-on-Trent at St. John’s Church. We married in 1957 and lived inShrewsbury, returning to Staffordshire in 1960, where I was working as apiano technician again.
In 1980 Mavis and I set up a retail business to sell, repair and tune pianos.My son, Roger, also studied and qualified as a piano technician at College inNewark-on-Trent and later at Steinway & Sons in London. Roger now carriesforward the business after my retirement.
We are blessed with 3 children; Roger, Angela and Ruth.I retired from the business in 1995 and in 2002 went to live in Colwyn Bay,
returning to Staffordshire in 2013.My hobbies include listening to classical music, playing chess and scrabble
and walking.
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On a cold and frosty Sunday morning it was great to see18 assembled PTA members and guests at Forsyth’s Manchester.
Being the control freak that I am, I was there an hour early, andhad a stroll up Deansgate. A trail of discarded and broken bottles, left overtake-aways and rough sleepers didn’t present a pleasant picture. But by10.30am (the allotted hour) Forsyth’s front had been swept clean and the shopfront washed.
Lothar Kiesche of Schimmel introduced himself and the brand.He explained how Schimmel had concentrated on research and developmentto position themselves above the mass producers of Asia.
He had a great gizmo; a tuning fork on a bendable soundboard sample witha handle at each end. When the tuning fork was struck with the board flat itwas almost inaudible. Twist the board, and the sound sustains.Their soundboard timber is carefully selected from mountain spruce controlledby the Bavarian forestry commission.
Schimmel found that after having spoken to Technicians and pianists,it became apparent that the longer keys in a concert grand piano gave a betterfeel. This length of key has now been utilised in all of the “Konzert grand”series. The scaling of the treble is also now consistent throughout the rangefrom notes 44 to 88.
Finally the new relationship with Pearl River was revealed. Pearl River(the world’s largest piano manufacturer) were looking for a premium brand tosell alongside their pianos in China. Schimmelhave taken on this role, and now have access to400 dealers in China. There is no intention toconfuse the brands and Schimmel will only sellGerman made pianos in China.
Christrian Fromm, the technician whowould talk about Grand piano dampers wasunexpectedly unavailable, so we had to makedo with Daniella Knecht.
What a revelation! This girl has served timewith both Grotrian and Schimmel.Her expertise is amazing and her skillsinstalling dampers truly put us all to shame.
She began with a power point presentationwith regard to the installation of grand dampers.
PTA TRAINING DAY AT FORSYTHBY BEN NOLAN
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This was a factory based installation with new parts from Renner and so notrelevant to most on the road tuner /technicians, but it’s great to be shown thesetechniques. Daniella said it was at least 2 years of work until she had masteredthe level of skill she now has.
Trimming and squeezing of split wedge felts was fascinating, but did begthe question “why aren’t Renner doing this in the first place?”
After lunch (although Daniella didn’t stop) we undertook some practicalinstallation of dampers on two Schimmel grands supplied by Forsyth’s.Everyone had a go and the results were interesting! Daniella was on hand tosupply the much needed advice and practical illustration.
My biggest surprise was that these new damper wires needed nothing likethe dog leg angles of older pianos, they virtually slotted straight into thedamper bodies, with some adjustment needed at the top bend to fit to the string.Surely a bonus of modern piano design, rather than using off the shelf partsand making them fit. The other big surprise was the amount of handmanipulation Daniella used; lots of twisting, pulling and pushing, but theresults were impressive.
Thankfully Daniella was retained for the following day to re-install theoriginal dampers into the 2 pianos we had mangled. It takes in the region ofseven hours to install and regulate a set of dampers in the factory.
The resumption of the Powerpoint presentation was rather swift.Not everyone (including myself) kept up. Lots of unscrewing and re-screwingdampers and more regulation. Damper stop rail regulation to allow 3-4mm ofadditional movement at full key dip was explained. Some factory termsweren’t clear. You know when something’s not understood when asked,
“Any questions?” there is embarrassed silence.We were treated to an extra demonstration; the bedding of the Schimmel
keyframe. The domes were wound up to an alarming degree, but then thepurpose was illustrated. When pressing on the hammer (beam) rail the keysvisibly dropped at the front. The domes were gradually lowered until thisstopped. Hey presto, keybed done.
What a wonderful day!Anne Burton thanked Forsyth’s and Schimmel for their sterling efforts and
presented chocolates to Daniella and wine to Forsyth’sWe were presented with a lovely Schimmel note book, and promised
regulation handbooks and damper installation DVD.We were then treated to a tour of Forsyth’s. A marvellous music emporium
over 5 floors in the heart of Manchester, with a very impressive piano floorwith Schimmel, Yamaha and Kawai to the fore, with the occasional Steinwayto keep the blood pressure high.
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Our Training Day, tirelessly organised by GaryWhiteland, was hosted at Forsyth Bros by its owners, siblings,Simon & Emma Loat.
Simon introduced us to Lothar Kiesche & Daniella Knecht. Lothar isSchimmel’s Chief Marketing and Sales Officer having previously workedthere as a technician. Daniella completed her apprenticeship at Schimmel’s asa technician and kindly agreed to step in for Christian Fromm who couldn’tmake it.
The day began with a rundown from Lothar on Schimmel’s recent historyi.e. from the 1980s to the present day. The ‘80s being the period at which theyadopted a different outlook; they employed scientists and used computers tointroduce new designs.
Lothar told us about Schimmel’s innovations and patents, including non-parallel-sided soundboards and triplex scaling.
Schimmel doesn’t compromise on quality with their smaller pianos; theirsmallest grand has the same size keys as their concert model and their uprightsuse triplex scaling. They use the same scaling on the higher tenor and trebleareas with all their grands.
Whenever I’ve worked in or visited piano shops I’ve found modernSchimmel’s of every type to stand above others in terms of singing tone andconsistency of touch. In my opinion these innovations were very worthwhile.
Daniella wasted no time in getting us all involved — she started byshowing us how to remove and fit damper wires and then asked “now whowants to try this?”
After a few of us did, so she took us through a few more steps in the processand then split us into four groups; two on each piano and we all had a go atwhat we’d been shown. Amongst other things we learnt was that there’s nopoint continuing the procedure if the damper isn’t first seated evenly across theunisons. This might seem obvious but it’s easy to ignore if you get ahead ofyourself. This is done by removing and adjusting the bend in the wire at thedamper head.
Daniella divided her time between all four groups and showed a lot ofenergy and patience even with the most demanding trainees. As we went along,she showed us all stages in the operation. Her ‘technicianship’ seemedeffortless alongside our work. At the end we were given a bullet pointsummary of the routine.
PTA TRAINING DAYBY SHAUN MCLOUGHLIN
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I like this format; absorbing knowledge only gets one so far and easily thebest way of learning is by doing. This has been my favourite Training Day.
Our leaning for the day now finished, we were taken on a tour of Forsyth’sby our hosts; they had kindly provided us with sandwiches, coffee and tea forour lunch break.
Forsyth’s is an impressive shop with five floors, three of which areshowrooms. Alongside the piano workshop and showroom, they also sellviolas, violins and guitars, employing a team of Luthiers. They sell sheetmusic and have rooms for music lessons.
All in all this was a very rewarding day and I will look out for Schimmeltraining days in future. Many thanks to all involved in its organisation.
TUNING FORKSBY ROSS HORSEY
Has anybody else noticed how bad modern tuning forks are?A few years ago, when my daughter started taking tuning lessons, I bought
a couple of new tuning forks. One was for her and the other was another sparefor me. I was so disappointed in their quality that I gave her one of my oldones. I tried annealing one of the new forks to see if I could improve it butwithout success. In the end, in anger, I threw them away.
Three weeks ago I somehow managed to lose my remaining original tuningfork between tuning two pianos in a school. I searched thoroughly around andin both pianos without success. In the end I knew I would have to buy a newreplacement. I ordered three, two at C=523.3 Hz and one at A=440 Hz (I alsoplay the fiddle). They were all of shockingly poor quality. For example, when Istruck my old A tuning fork, the tone was clear and lasted a full five secondsbefore gradually fading away whereas the new fork sounded for about asecond before rapidly decaying.
This story has a happy ending.A colleague, with whom I have been friends for many years, supplied me
with a spare old tuning fork and it does the job perfectly.
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CRB CHECKSBY MICHELLE RUDD
One of my schools, where I've tuned for over 30 years, recently sentthis:
Dear Michelle,You may be aware that recent changes to safeguarding regulations mean that all
contractors or other premises visitors attending school premises are now subject to anEnhanced DBS check, from 1st April 2016.
We have an obligation to ensure that the check has been carried out where thework involved meets the definition of regulated activity. This means that if you attendany school either once a week or on at least 4 days in a 30 day period, you must havean enhanced DBS check.
Please could you let me know if you have a current DBS check, and if so I would begrateful if you could let me know the date of the check and the certificate number.
I look forward to hearing from you.Kind regards …
Here's my reply:Dear Helen,Below is an online discussion I've just had with the DBS:Sonya: Hello Michelle Rudd. How may I help you?Michelle Rudd: I'm a piano tuner. I'm in any one school a maximum of one day in 6months. One of my primary schools where I visit for one hour once a year emailed me — see the above text.Sonya: OK, do you have your own company?Michelle Rudd: I'm a self-employed piano tuner with no employeesSonya: How many schools do you think you will be visiting per month?Will you be in aschool at least once a week or 4 or more times in a 30 day period?You have been transferred to: Megan Acton.Michelle Rudd: It varies! 0-6 per month, for North Yorkshire County Council (NYCC)Schools but some private schools and about 4 other LEA authority very occasionally.Megan Acton: To be able to gain a DBS check you will need to be visiting schools atleast 4 times per month? Also, as you are self-employed you will need to go to yourlocal council to apply for the check on your behalf.If you are self-employed you cannot apply for a DBS check as an individual.Michelle Rudd: I don't visit schools 4 times a month every month.Megan Acton: Ok, then you will only be able to request a basic criminal record check.Unfortunately you cannot apply for a DBS check as an individual. The only availablecheck for an individual is a basic criminal check which is not A DBS check. As anindividual your only option would be to apply for a Basic Criminal Record check. Thisapplication costs £55 inc. VAT. The Basic check is a check against the Police National
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Computers for any unspent convictions only. This check can be requested through ourwebsite. Certificates are typically issued within 3-10 working days after they havebeen submitted as long as there are no internal queries. The certificate will be sent viapost to the address supplied. Please note, this check is only a check of the UK, and wecannot send certificates abroad. Therefore if you live abroad, and are applying for thischeck, a UK forwarding address must be supplied. Please also note this is NOT aDBS/CRB check. Here is our website:http://www.crb-checkonline.co.uk/individual-crbBasic CRB Check - CRB Onlinewww.crb-checkonline.co.ukBasic CRB Check. A Basic Criminal RecordCheck – often referred to as a ‘Basic CRB’ – is the only level of Check available toindividuals.Michelle Rudd: The last time I enquired with North Yorkshire County Council theytold me I didn't need a DBS check! A school is asking me for an Enhanced DBS check.Should I contact the NY County Council again?Megan Acton: Yes you can but unfortunately you legally cannot apply for a DBS asyou don't meet the frequency criteria.
Helen, your own email has the same answer:“This means that if you attend any school either once a week or on at least 4 days in
a 30 day period, you must have an enhanced DBS check.”I only visit your school for one hour every 12 months. No other schools have made
this request.Yours sincerely,Michelle
Megan Acton of the DBS Online says one thing and my local educationauthority says another! Because I visit multiple schools per month, (not justthis particular school), it seems I have to have a DBS check, as the schoolsecretary confirms below:
Hello Michelle,I have spoken with a member of the DBS team at NYCC about this, and I
explained that the nature of your work means that you visit schools from 0-6 times permonth. This means that in some months, your work would be classed as regulatedactivity and in other months it would not.
The advice they gave was that you should have an Enhanced DBS checkcarried out to cover you in those months when your work is classed as regulatedactivity.
Your next visit to us is likely to be in September 2016, so I would suggest that inthe second half of the summer term we arrange for the check to be carried out. Thiswill be done by the school on your behalf. The process is in two parts, firstly you needto complete an online application form for which I will send you a link nearer the time,
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then I will need you call into school please with some ID documents (I will also sendyou details of what to bring in) then I will do my part of the check. Then theapplication will be processed by NYCC which can take anything from 1-2 weeks to1-2 months.
I will be in touch in the summer term but if you have any questions in themeantime please don't hesitate to ask.
Kind regards …
So, if I intend to keep working in schools, it seems that I have no choice.In the past couple of years some Academy High Schools have been insistingthat I'm chaperoned around their premises because I don't have a DBScertificate. I thought they were misguided at the time, but new legislation hascaught me off-guard and affirmed their stance. At least my lovely villageschool in the Yorkshire Dales has offered to pay for my DBS!
Susan fromNewcastle,Australia,learning to tune.
DJ instructing aStudent how tobush keys.
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I recently visited The Piano Technology School, housed in TheNorthampton Music and Performing Arts Trust buildings. The course was setup and is run by Steve Droy and D J Smallman, drawing upon their previousexperience in establishing the Furtados Institute of Piano Technology inMumbai. The new Piano Technology School has five students enrolled in thisyear, its first in operation, and spaces for six next year. The course duration isone year and covers tuning, on the road repairs and the theoretical aspects oftuning and repairing pianos.
They use three designated rooms for learning piano tuning and one roomfor carrying out classroom and workshop related activities. The classroom hasa well-stocked library and the workshop a well-equipped and organized toolcabinet. I met all the students during my visit, and observed some of theirlessons. In the first tuning room I met Susan from Newcastle, Australia whowas learning to set a scale tuning by ear and using Tune Lab software to checkher progress. In the next room was another student doing a similar exercise butusing the Rayburn Cybertuner software. Steve was on hand to supervise thetuning session and offer guidance as/when needed. I was reminded of my ownexperience of learning to tune and time spent in tuning booths in Newark backin the 80’s and wondered if having a visual representation of the tuning wouldhave improved the learning process? Steve explained that the aim of the schoolis to train good aural tuners and the software is there as a learning tool with theemphasis being about tuning by ear and achieving good lever control.
In the workshop D J was teaching two students to travel hammer shanks ona Steinway upright piano prior to fitting a new set of hammers. This piano is tobe restored by all five students and their work will be assessed as therestoration progresses.
After a morning meeting the students and looking round the school,we headed to a local restaurant for an excellent lunch — this proved a goodopportunity to answer the students’ questions about being a self-employedpiano tuner. There was much banter about the piano trade, with Steve and DJsupplying a few anecdotes about their time in the trade.
I was impressed by the dedication and enthusiasm of the students for theirsubject and wish them well in their chosen career.
Thanks to Steve, DJ and the students for making me very welcomein Northampton.
VISIT TO THE PIANO TECHNOLOGYSCHOOL, NORTHAMPTONBY GARY WHITELAND
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IMAGES FROM PIANO HISTORY — NO 10BEETHOVEN’S BROADWOD, 1817.DR ALASTAIR LAURENCE, JOHN BROADWOOD & SONS LTD.
Did Beethoven buy it, then, just as he had purchased an Erard about fifteenyears earlier? No, it was a personal gift from Thomas Broadwood,the younger son of John Broadwood, founder of the piano manufacturers.
What prompted the gift? It was given out of sheer admiration forBeethoven’s talents. Thomas had been introduced to Beethoven in Vienna afew months earlier, and had been bowled over by his music. There wasobviously an ulterior motive as well; an endorsement from Beethoven wouldhave been of great value to Broadwood’s trading activities.
How on earth did the piano get to Vienna? It was placed in a woodenpacking case, taken to London Docks in November 1817, and loaded on to asailing ship bound for Trieste in northern Italy. Once there, the piano was
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placed in a horse and wagon and trundled across the Alps until the Austriancapital, Vienna, was eventually reached. The instrument arrived in Viennain the spring of 1818, so the delivery had taken six months.
Did the piano arrive safely? No, unfortunately it was damaged en route,and the local piano tuner was called in. He had never seen a piano like thisbefore, and was perplexed. As many tuners will be aware, all the Viennesegrands have their hammers the wrong way round, and have a totally differentmechanism when compared with the London equivalents. But the piano waseventually fixed.
Does the piano have any special features? Yes, its sustaining (right) footpedal is split in two parts: the left half raises the bass dampers, whilst the righthalf raises the treble dampers.
And did Beethoven appreciate the gift? Yes, certainly. He sent theBroadwood Company a wonderful testimonial, written in French. As thecomposer was considerably deaf when the piano arrived, he may haveappreciated its louder and more powerful qualities when compared with theViennese equivalents, which tended to have very weak trebles. Beethovenmust have used the Broadwood regularly for his composing work.
And who serviced the piano? The London harp maker, Johann Stumpff,a German, was sent to tune it. After his visit, he wrote to Broadwood’s,commenting that many broken hammer heads were to be seen dancing aroundon the top of the strings (!) and that a multitude of broken wires were coiled up,
‘like a thorn bush in a gale’ (!) This must have been the result of extremelyheavy playing, which in turn was the result of Beethoven’s deafness.
And what happened to the piano after Beethoven’s death in 1827?It eventually came into the hands of the famous Hungarian pianist/composerFranz Liszt, who bequeathed his piano to the Hungarian Nation (1886), andthe instrument found its way into the National Museum at Budapest, whereit remains today.
Does it still work? It was not in working order until 1992, when theAmerican restorer, David Winston, with a workshop at Biddenden, Kent UK,was called in. He flew to Budapest and carried out a successful restoration onsite, within the Museum. Shortly after the restoration’s completion, the pianowent on tour, being seen and heard in concert at Vienna (5th May), Bonn(12th May), Bath (4th June) and finally London (6th June 1992). The pianistwas Melvyn Tan. One of the English concerts was heard live on BBC Radio 3,when the sound of Beethoven’s Broadwood was heard, to the delight andamazement of the listeners, 175 years after its construction.
What happened to the funding raised by this particular Concert Tour?It was given to a special school concerned with the education of deaf children.Very appropriate!
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PIANO PICTURE PUZZLEBY NIGEL DONOVAN
HOW OBSERVANT ARE YOU?Probably the same as me — from the thumbnails opposite
see if you can work out the name of the piano — they lookfamiliar but just can’t put a name to them…No winners last time as only 2 tuners submitted a response and due to apublishing error, the first thumbnail was missing the vital clue in the top rightcorner. It is repeated here correctly as the first picture.
February answers — 1. (repeated), 2. Cramer, 3. Klima, 4. Baldwin,5. Steck, 6. Boston, 7. E. Elias, 8. Bohemia, 9. Kingsburg, 10. WakefieldSpencer, 11. Neumeyer, 12 John Broadwood, 13. Collard & Collard,14. Hohner, 15. Spencer.
If you feel you have this one sorted, drop me an email and I’ll let you haveyour score.
EUROPIANODIGITAL EUROPIANO ARCHIVE
EUROPIANO: The Journal of European Piano Maker Associations since 1961
All Europiano magazine issues since 1961 have been scanned in theirentirety and are now available as a digital archive. This archive is availableexclusively to all magazine subscribers.
Please note that the material is subject to copyright. Passing on to othersor publication in print or digital form is not permitted.
The web address is not included here for the above reasons. An insert withthe above text was included in the latest issue of the magazine. Editor.
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FINCHCOCKS MUSICAL MUSEUMSALE AT DONNINGTON PRIORY
Part One: The Richard Burnett Collection of Early Instruments,10am 11 May 2016.Viewing at Finchcocks Musical Museum:Friday 29 April to Monday 2 May 10am–4pm;Thursday 5 May – Wednesday 11 May by appointment; call 01580 211 702.Part Two: The Contents of Finchcocks Musical Museum,1pm 11 May 2016.Viewing at Finchcocks Musical Museum:Friday 29 April–Monday 2 May 10am–4pm.Viewing at Donnington Priory: Saturday 7 May 9am–12.30pm; Sunday 8 May10am–2pm; Monday 9 May 9am–6pm; Tuesday 10 May 9am–4.30pm;Day of sale from 8.30am.None of the lots from Part One (Early Keyboard Instruments) will be on viewat Donnington Priory.From the Press Release:The sale at Dreweatts & Bloomsbury Auctions aims to raise funds for theFinchcocks Charity, helping to promote and preserve the playing of originalinstruments for the next generation. A small core collection will be retained aspart of the existing Finchcocks Charity. Proceeds from the auction willsupport the charity in training technicians and tuners, keeping these historicalinstruments in superb working condition and preserving their original soundthrough performance.Catalogues available to buy or to download at www.dreweatts.com
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LETTERS TO THE EDITORDear Anne,Just a note to thank Bob Morgan and Nigel Donovan for the puzzles in the
recent issues of PTA News. I have thoroughly enjoyed whiling away a happyspare hour or two.
The piano picture quiz had me flummoxed on quite a few. I knew I hadseen them but where? I must admit I was kept awake trying to remember
– sad but true!!The Codeword from Bob Morgan seemed impossible at first. I thought my
knowledge of composers must have been extremely limited. It was fun towatch the familiar names becoming clear over time as each letter was found.I did know a few after all, although it has given me the urge to find out aboutsome of the other names! Still I managed to get two of the letters which wereonly used once wrong. I guessed the right letters, F and W but guessed theminto the wrong composers – silly me!
Thanks again to Bob and Nigel for putting in the time – hoping for moreof the same if possible.
Thanks also to you Anne as Editor for a really good read.Best wishes,Matthew Gough (1064)
Auction highlights include:Lot 24; A single-manual harpsichord by Joachim Jose Antunes, Lisbon, 1785.Lot 99: A grand piano by Conrad Graf, Vienna, circa 1820.Lot 14: A grand piano by John Broadwood & Sons, 1846.
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The Meeting of the Executive Council was held on 19th March 2016at Robert Morley & Co. Ltd., Lewisham.Present were: Anne Burton (President), Annette Summers (Secretary/Treasurer),Stephen Venn (Trustee), Lewis Flisher, Finlay Fraser and Yumi Shigeno.Apologies received from Gary Whiteland (Vice President), Andrew Giller,Shaun McLoughlin, Michelle Rudd and Tania Staite (Trustee).Correction to the January minutes; PTA Member Robert Parr made the recordingsof the PTAN to disc; Tania Staite read the Newsletter and distributed the discs.A thank you letter has been sent to Mr Parr.Richard Dain, Hurstwood Farm Piano Studios, complained about the statement inthe PTA News in “Return of the PTA Factory Visit” that Cavendish Pianos werethe sole remaining maker in the UK. Anne Burton wrote to Mr Dain apologisingfor this error and will clarify the situation in the April PTA News.Gary Whiteland visited the new Piano Technology Course at Northampton and willwrite an article for the April PTAN. Gary Whiteland contacted Mr John Lord torequest a syllabus for the course at Newark and to initiate further contact betweenthe PTA and Newark College.The PTA has received a Hibiki tuning lever as a gift from Manabu Arimori for PTAMembers to try.Anne Burton will reply to Keith Akins, Senior Editor of the Piano TechniciansJournal, to see how the PTA and the PTG can work together for mutual benefit.There are only a few final issues to be resolved with the website.The Treasurer’s report was circulated, discussed and approved.Those whose subscriptions are unpaid by the end of March 2016 will be removedfrom the database, website, Yearbook, PList/Forum.We have one new Membership application and four new Student applications.The PTA welcomes Mr Manabu Arimori as a new PTA Associate.An application form in Braille is now available.The PTA Test subcommittee will meet at 9am on Saturday 14th May at theConvention in Barnstaple.The Training Day held at Forsyths, Manchester, was a great success. Forsyths havekindly donated 3 books and 2 DVDs about Schimmel pianos to the PTA Library.More Training Days are being planned.PTA Yearbook and Newsletter advertisers will have a copy deadline of 30th April2016 with payment required mid-May.The decision on Rule changes 1,2,3 was proposed by Yumi Shigeno and secondedby Lewis Flisher. These to be presented to AGM for agreement by Membership.Item 4 to be deleted.11 people will visit Granton Ragg Ltd on the 14th April.The next EC Meeting is scheduled for after the Convention Lunch on Saturday,14th May, 2016 at the Barnstaple Hotel.
PTA COUNCIL REPORTANNE BURTON
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Convention 2016, 11th to 14th May; AGM 11.30am 14th MayConvention Lunch 12.45 for 1pm, Saturday 14th May
The Barnstaple Hotel, Braunton Road, Barnstaple,North Devon EX31 1LE.
Convention 2017, 10th to 13th MayMercure Shrewsbury Albrighton Hotel & Spa, Shrewsbury
For enquiries, PTA goods, changes of address or contact details:Mrs Annette Summers, PTA SecretaryPO Box 230HAILSHAM BN27 9EATel: 0845 602 8796Email: [email protected]
PTA DIARY
