Info on inexpensive Clavichord kits?
Daniel Delgado
supply kits for Building Clavichords? I have heard of Zuckerman's and
they are supplying me with a catalog. However, I understand that the cheap
ones that he used to supply are no longer availabe (I did not hear this
from him but rather from a second source - I hope I heard wrong). Anyway,
any info would be appreciated.
By the way, if anyone would tell me their reasons for building one I would
be greatly interested in hearing about it. I want to because I have turned
into a major (although introductory) Bach fanatic. I read in various places
that Bach prefered to play the Clavichord because of the sensitivity it allows.
I also am aware of the personal nature of the instrument since it is only loud
enough for the performer and one or two others to enjoy. This fits very well
with my understanding of the personae of Bach; i.e. I take great pleasure of
thinking of him composing and playing other peoples works by himself - not for
any glory that he would get insofar as performing is concern, but rather
because of the personal enjoyment he obtained from music.
Tom Knotts
>Does anybody have the phone number and/or address of companies that
>supply kits for Building Clavichords? I have heard of Zuckerman's and
>they are supplying me with a catalog. However, I understand that the cheap
>ones that he used to supply are no longer availabe (I did not hear this
>from him but rather from a second source - I hope I heard wrong). Anyway,
>any info would be appreciated.
Due to the large number of poorly-made Zuckermann kits, they stopped
selling kits to the general public, opting to have a professional
agent build the instruments from what is essentially a kit. The quality
is much better, and the prices much higher. I know that to save some
of the labor costs, that individuals can assemble the instruments in
the agents shops under his/her supervision. The cost of the 'kit' is
still higher than it was, though.
> By the way, if anyone would tell me their reasons for building one I would
>be greatly interested in hearing about it. I want to because I have turned
>into a major (although introductory) Bach fanatic.
Welcome to the club. I was initiated when I hear the 'Little' Fugue in
G-minor when I was 12, and it has grown ever since.
>I read in various places
>that Bach prefered to play the Clavichord because of the sensitivity it
>allows.
I believe this is true.
>I also am aware of the personal nature of the instrument since it is only loud
>enough for the performer and one or two others to enjoy. This fits very well
>with my understanding of the personae of Bach; i.e. I take great pleasure of
>thinking of him composing and playing other peoples works by himself - not for
>any glory that he would get insofar as performing is concern, but rather
>because of the personal enjoyment he obtained from music.
He wrote such magnificent organ music in part because it was just the
music, the organ and Bach himself.
I would suggest that you consider taking up the harpsichord. This
instrument will beautifully perform all of his greatest keyboard music
(even his organ music if it has pedals). In some sense, the clavichord
is limited. You could not perform the Partitas on one, for example, and
these rank as some of his greatest keyboard music of all. The clavichord
is a nice contrasting instrument to the harpsichord, but I would
personally be frustrated if this were all I had.
Tom
Kent J Crispin
writes, in reply to someone whose name I didn't catch:
>
>>Does anybody have the phone number and/or address of companies that
>>supply kits for Building Clavichords? I have heard of Zuckerman's and
>>they are supplying me with a catalog. However, I understand that the cheap
>>ones that he used to supply are no longer availabe (I did not hear this
>>from him but rather from a second source - I hope I heard wrong). Anyway,
>>any info would be appreciated.
>
>Due to the large number of poorly-made Zuckermann kits, they stopped
>selling kits to the general public, opting to have a professional
>agent build the instruments from what is essentially a kit. The quality
>is much better, and the prices much higher. I know that to save some
>of the labor costs, that individuals can assemble the instruments in
>the agents shops under his/her supervision. The cost of the 'kit' is
>still higher than it was, though.
David Way is the current head of Zuckermann Harpsichords, and he will
certainly sell you a kit. I built the Fretted Clavichord kit -- finished it
about 6 months ago. At the time I bought it it was about $1300, and now I
think it is about $1500. This is undoubtedly much more expensive than 10
years ago. It is true that there is a network of what are called
"associates" that build Zuckermann harpsichords, but you don't have to
build the kit in the agents shop, the cost is exactly the same, and the
primary function of the associate is to give advice. You don't have to
work with him/her, and you don't have to follow their advice (though of course
you would probably be a fool not to.) If no associate is available you
can call David directly and ask for advice. He is very helpful. I
made my original contact through an associate, but actually had very little
contact with him while building. When I was very nearly done I put it
in the back of my car and took it over to his workshop to look it over.
Everything was ok, except I wanted to know a little about how to properly
balance the keys, which he told me (and supplied me with some heavy lead
wire which is inserted into holes drilled into the key lever at the appropriate
spot.)
I did a fair amount of research on clavichord kits before I did this one.
About 10 or 15 years ago there used to be several sources, but now
Zuckermann is the ONLY ONE. All the rest have gone out of business --
I think because there are actually quite a few builders around now, not
because there is any less demand for clavichords. There are two sources
for harpsichord kits, Zuckermann and Hubbard (Hubbard sells a clavichord,
but not a kit).
The price of the kit ($1500) is probably about half the price of the cheapest
already built clavichord -- the cheapest one I saw was $2500, and it was
a "modern" instrument, (steel and plastic). When you get the box full of
odd shaped pieces of wood, $1500 may seem like a lot. But I think it is
a very fair price.
Building the kit was one of the most enjoyable projects I have ever tried.
The manual says 50 to 75 hours "not counting the time you spend thinking".
What this means, I think, is that an experienced builder could do it in
that amount of time -- it probably took me twice that long, and I think
that I rushed some things (on the other hand I re-wove the listing cloth
about 8 times...) So I paid $10/hour for a VERY enjoyable and satisfying
activity, plus when I was done I had an absolutely delightful little
musical instrument.
I have to say that it is impossible for me to be objective about this: the
rewards are amazing -- it is a great feeling when I show my clavichord
to someone, and they say "you built THIS", because it really and truly is
a beautiful, beautiful thing, and I almost don't believe myself that I
built it.
>
>> By the way, if anyone would tell me their reasons for building one I would
>>be greatly interested in hearing about it. I want to because I have turned
>>into a major (although introductory) Bach fanatic.
That was one of the reasons for me, too. I mainly play classical guitar, and
Bach has always been my favorite. Interestingly enough, I don't particularly
like to listen to other people play Bach -- I get the most out of it when
I play it myself, regardless of the fact that I am really not a very good
player. But of course, so much of Bach's greatest works are for the
keyboard...
>
>Welcome to the club. I was initiated when I hear the 'Little' Fugue in
>G-minor when I was 12, and it has grown ever since.
>
>>I read in various places
>>that Bach prefered to play the Clavichord because of the sensitivity it
>>allows.
>
>I believe this is true.
>
Once again, I can't be objective, but...I am not a very good keyboard player
to begin with, and the technique for the clavichord is difficult, and
different than that of the piano or the harpsichord or the organ (or
synth...), but I can play a few little things now well enough to get a feel
for the character of the instrument, and, yes, it is a very happy thing.
The clavichord is very quiet, though very expressive, and thus lends itself
to music for personal enjoyment as opposed to music for the enjoyment of
others -- it just doesn't make it as a vehicle for public expression.
>>I also am aware of the personal nature of the instrument since it is only loud
>>enough for the performer and one or two others to enjoy. This fits very well
>>with my understanding of the personae of Bach; i.e. I take great pleasure of
>>thinking of him composing and playing other peoples works by himself - not for
>>any glory that he would get insofar as performing is concern, but rather
>>because of the personal enjoyment he obtained from music.
>
>He wrote such magnificent organ music in part because it was just the
>music, the organ and Bach himself.
Yes, that is part of the character of Bach -- just music for music's sake.
>I would suggest that you consider taking up the harpsichord. This
>instrument will beautifully perform all of his greatest keyboard music
>(even his organ music if it has pedals). In some sense, the clavichord
>is limited. You could not perform the Partitas on one, for example, and
>these rank as some of his greatest keyboard music of all. The clavichord
>is a nice contrasting instrument to the harpsichord, but I would
>personally be frustrated if this were all I had.
You are undoubtedly a much better player than I. At my limited level of
expertise I don't think that the clavichord is so limited -- and the
harpsichord has the unfortunate property of having very little control
over dynamics. (However, I have just sent away for a harpsichord kit,
and I can hardly wait to get it :-). Also, the fretted clavichord has a 52
note (little over 4 octave) range. The unfretted clavichord kit is a
5 octave keyboard, and can play almost everything Bach wrote for harpsichord,
except for a very few pieces (A couple of the Goldberg variations, and a
few others, I can't recall what) that really require two manuals. And the
range of the fretted clavichord is sufficient for a great deal of Bach's
music...enough to keep me busy for quite a few years.
>
>Tom
Kent
Lee Ridgway
For a clavichord kit, you should check into those designed by Carl Fudge,
formerly of Boston. He has now retired but the business and kits are handled by
Charles Wolff, 44 Loring St., Boston, MA 02136 (617) 364-7068. There are three
models: 4 octave fretted, 4 1/2 octave fretted, 5 octave unfretted. Last year
the small instrument basic kit was $975, and you can get various stages of
assembly, plus add-ons as desired (adding to the cost). The unfretted kit
started at $2100, but that included assembly of the case, which for a new
builder is probably the best way to start (unless you have experience in
cabinetry!).
I have always been impressed with Fudge's instruments, and feel that his kits
are probably going to give you as good an instrument as anyone. Also, I have a
feeling that Wolff will be better at giving advice to a new builder than David
Way would be.
Another avenue, as someone mentioned, is buying a used instrument. The
Harpsichord Clearing House (Glenn Guittari), Rehoboth, MA, 1-800-252-4304,
usually has clavichords on his list. You might call for a copy of his latest
bulletin. He is also a good person to deal with.
When you take up the instrument, you should arrange a few lessons with an
organist or harpsichordist who is well versed in early instruments and
technique (being at Ames, you've got good people at Stanford and Berkely). The
clavichord can be very frustrating at first, and a good teacher will get you
started on playing it properly and getting enjoyment out of it from the
beginning.
Good luck and enjoy!
Kent J Crispin
>Just now picking up this thread.
>
>For a clavichord kit, you should check into those designed by Carl Fudge,
>formerly of Boston. He has now retired but the business and kits are handled by
>Charles Wolff, 44 Loring St., Boston, MA 02136 (617) 364-7068. There are three
>models: 4 octave fretted, 4 1/2 octave fretted, 5 octave unfretted. Last year
>the small instrument basic kit was $975, and you can get various stages of
>assembly, plus add-ons as desired (adding to the cost). The unfretted kit
>started at $2100, but that included assembly of the case, which for a new
>builder is probably the best way to start (unless you have experience in
>cabinetry!).
>
It's good to know that there is another source for kits. I was at the
Music Sources "Keyboard Festival" this past Saturday, and Gary Blaise
was there -- he is a clavichord builder. His instruments are in the
$6000-$12000 range (but VERY nice). I was talking to him about this
subject, and he said that he was going to offer a kit as well. His workshop
is in San Francisco. I don't have his address and number handy, but I
have it at home somewhere.
>I have always been impressed with Fudge's instruments, and feel that his kits
>are probably going to give you as good an instrument as anyone. Also, I have a
>feeling that Wolff will be better at giving advice to a new builder than David
>Way would be.
I found David Way very helpful when I built my kit. Also, he was very
concerned that kit builders have a successful experience.
>Another avenue, as someone mentioned, is buying a used instrument. The
>Harpsichord Clearing House (Glenn Guittari), Rehoboth, MA, 1-800-252-4304,
>usually has clavichords on his list. You might call for a copy of his latest
>bulletin. He is also a good person to deal with.
I also have been impressed with HCH. They sell books and music, too.
>When you take up the instrument, you should arrange a few lessons with an
>organist or harpsichordist who is well versed in early instruments and
>technique (being at Ames, you've got good people at Stanford and Berkely). The
>clavichord can be very frustrating at first, and a good teacher will get you
>started on playing it properly and getting enjoyment out of it from the
>beginning.
There is also a book "Technique on the Harpsichord and Clavichord" which
is very helpful, though it may be out of print.
I mentioned Music Sources above. They are located at 1000 The Alameda,
in Berkeley, California, 510-528-1685.. They have a concert season, put
on the above-mentioned keyboard celebration, host classes, have a
library, AND have a showroom of early music instruments for sale. They
may also rent instruments. San Francisco has an Early Music Society
called The San Francisco Early Music Society (but you probably already
knew that).
Kent
PR...@oberlin.bitnet
clavichord and harpsichord maker Carl Fudge of Boston, is still
providing three models of clavichord in either kit or assembled form.
He can be contacted at 44 Loring St., Hyde Park, MA, 02136. I'm in
the midst of assembling one of his small fretted clavichords. The
workmanship and quality of the materials is outstanding, and he offers
plenty of advice and support when necessary. --Bill Ruth, Oberlin, Ohio