The “Blizzard of ‘96” signaled our move into new territory. As the pressures of the early ‘90s settled, several of the shop’s longtime staff moved on to explore other interests. A few special projects finally received attention, and there were uncharted waters needing time we couldn’t delegate.
A non-musical tour de force was a cabriole (Louis XV) stand for the last harpsichord Bill Dowd made for Albert Fuller. “Sapphire” (Albert named his instruments), was covered in lapis lazuli lacquer, but the French double was delivered with a plain trestle stand. They both loved our cabriole stands, but we couldn’t justify a furniture project with all those pianos waiting. Details important to Albert modified our usual design, but the killer was matching the finish on the original sample panel. Bill approved the execution, and “Sapphire” was complete after 20 years.
Happy with his new Wolf German harpsichord and cabriole stand, Albert inquired what we wanted to do that nobody had asked us for or was doing. The recent fortepiano activity had piqued our interest in its beginnings during the first half of the 18th century. Of the nine surviving earliest pianos known at that time (three by Bartolomeo Cristofori, three by Gottfried Silbermann, three by Portuguese makers), two were in American museums and the rest in Europe. Albert was keen on the Bach/Silbermann connection, but felt we should examine all the originals. A recent inheritance from his longtime friend Alice Tully enabled him to award us funds for a research trip including London, Lisbon, Rome, Venice, Berlin, Leipzig, and Nuremberg.
During three weeks in April we acquired notes, photos, sketches and measurements of these antiques. At the instrument museum in Rome we first saw the 1722 Cristofori piano that would become an important resource for us. The Sanssouci palaces in Potsdam offered private access to two Silbermann pianos, one shown in the famous painting of CPE Bach playing with Frederick the Great. Two days after we returned, Dutch musician Jacques Ogg appeared on the front porch and asked us to make him a Silbermann piano. Karma.
