The Erard Project

Let's start with the general condition of the instrument. The Erard log books says this instrument was built in 1843, and is veneered with Courbaril, which is a south American hardwood similar to Rosewood. The present condition of the case is good, although it was recently refinished with nitro-cellulose lacquer, which is decomposing. In many places the veneer shows signs of telegraphing, which indicates movement of the structure beneath. The treble corner, visible in this photo, shows a slight change in elevation, The log book also tells us that the piano originally had six bars. A close look at the photo above shows 7 bars, the bar in extreme bass was added more recently, probably sometime in the 1990's. The four transverse bars, which are welded in are also a recent addition. In the above photo we see two of the more interesting additions to this instrument. Two clamps which although ugly, and out of place, appear to have been cast and machined from Bronze, which s...

This is Erard, serial #15908, built in 1843, as it looked when it arrived in my shop from Period Piano Center, for a total rebuild. Had this instrument been in original condition I would not have been interested in rebuilding it. However numerous interferences, and modifications, mostly with the idea of making the instrument hold more tension, have reduced this piano to a point at which it can no longer be considered a true artifact of the makers original intent. The poor condition of this instrument, in some ways, makes it an ideal one for study, and my ulterior motive was to make a set of engineering drawings, for the purpose of making replicas. Some guidelines I have set for myself in the rebuilding of this instrument; It is better to remove whole assemblies , where they are damaged, from the instrument in one piece for conservation rather than add to them, or patch them. These assemblies can then be replaced with copies. For instance, rather than re-capping a section...