Forum Replies Created
-
Posts
-
I left out the most obvious question from my list: How many harps did the London Erard factory produce in their history?
Bernhard- In English, lacquer is a finish that dries by evaporation, same as shellac. The liquid agent in lacquer is simply called lacquer thinner, which is mostly alcohol. Varnish is thinned by Turpentine or paint thinner and dried by oxidation. You can wash a varnish with turpintine or paint thinner and it will not remove or soften the finish. You cannot wash a lacquer or shellac finish with lacquer thinner or alcohol(the carrying agents in those finishes) because it will soften and remove those finishes.
Bernhard- I think you are confusing terms in English. Varnish is an oil-base resin that is brushed on and dries by oxidation. French Polish is very diluted shellac that is applied with a rag and dries by evaporation. The harp in question would have had a few coats of varnish brushed on, then rubbed down smooth. Then a light coat of French Polish(shellac) would have been rubbed on to polish the finish.
Washing a shellac surface with a damp sponge will not cause shellac to turn gray or white. There would have to be enough water to wet the surface and it would have to sit there for 10 minutes or more to do that.
I’ve worked on many of these old harps over the years and what she is describing are areas where the finish(varnish and shellac) have been worn off and dirt has gotten into the unprotected wood.
On a harp of that age the finish is most likely varnish with French polish(shellac applied with a rag) over it. In the areas where the hands constantly touch the finish is probably completely gone and dirt and oil has gotten into the wood. This is dangerous because if it gets down to the first glue layer it will loosen the glue and the outer veneer will bubble and come loose.
You need to take the instrument to someone who really knows what he is doing. A professional furniture restorer. He can bleach out the dirt and clean the area where the finish is gone as well as possible. Then I would spot finish those areas with shellac. I see no need to refinish the whole instrument unless there is something wrong with the finish everywhere.
If there are “greyish discolored areas”, then that can mean one of two things. It’s either dirt on top of (what’s left of) the finish, or its dirt on raw wood where the finish has worn off completely. Either way you should address this.
Try washing the body and soundboard with soap and water. Mix dish detergent and water like you would to do dishes. Then soak a sponge in that and then wring as much water as you can out of the sponge so it is just damp. Rub that over a small dirty area and see what comes off. Once you are done, let it dry well. If there are dull areas with no finish at all, then you should get someone qualified to spot finish those areas so there is finish covering them.
I hope you are using MUCH THINNER gauge strings on this old instrument and that you are tuning it well below A 440.
Every time I see the title of this thread, I think of Delphi in Greece. I know you can’t live there, but to me it is the most beautiful place on earth.
Saul- As far as I can tell, my instruments have aged very well. There are a number of them right here in Boston, the oldest of which is now about 17 years old. it belongs to Cynthia Price, the teacher at the Boston Conservatory, and it’s the harp she uses in the Boston Ballet Orchestra. Judy Saiki, who subs all the time with the Boston Symphony has a semi-gilded Empire about the same age and it’s fine. She loves it.
As usual Saul, the only people you ever mention are all Salzedo harpists. Never mind the fact that Susan McDonald has the highest level harp department in the world at Indiana University. Ignore the first prize and orchestra winners that Nancy Allen has taught at Juilliard. And to you it’s not worth mentioning Sara Bullen of the Chicago Symphony who teaches at Roosevelt, Debbie Hofman of the Metropolitan Opera, who teaches at Manhattan School of Music, Or Elizabeth Hainen of the Philadelphia Symphony, who is actually half Chalifoux and half McDonald trained, who teaches at Temple in Philadelphia.
I love Candide. Or more to the point, the music. The original book, really an essay by Voltaire, was a poor source to turn into a musical, and Bernstein spent the rest of his life trying to make it work. But the music is wonderful. My favorite recording remains the original cast recording with a young Barbara Cook sailing into the stratosphere on ‘Glitter and be Gay.’
Patrick-Don’t beat yourself up over this. It has nothing to do with how well you know the piece or how long you’ve been playing it. Once the Adrenaline kicks in, all preparation goes out the window.
I wrote two different articles on this subject which were printed in the Harp Column in 2001 and 2002. They are called A PRESCRIPTION FOR SUCCESS, and THE BIG DAY. If you go to my company web site,www.swansonharp.com, and click on the ‘articles’ page, you’ll find both articles there. They should help.
Patricia- I thought of that after my previous post and was going to suggest it. I’m glad you did.
He could actually have exactly the same thing printed on both sides, except that one is in English and the other Arabic.
Just remember that someone who got your card may have it for months or years. When they look at it again, it should tell them immediately who you are and what you do. So the single most important thing on it is the word HARPIST and the next is a picture of a harp. Don’t crowd the card with too much information or they wont read any of it. And use different size lettering to emphasize and separate the various elements.
