Historic keyboards: Instruments of imagination
Sweet, sweet music: Conference for historical keyboards puts beautiful sounds and sights on display
Joe Barrentine
Martin Pasi poses with a 17th-century Neapolitan organ he rescued from an attic in Italy at Christ Church Episcopal in Tacoma. Pasi is taking part in the Western Early Keyboard Association's biennial conference.
Tacoma isn’t exactly the keyboard capitol of the U.S. But that’s going to change this weekend – and perhaps permanently – when Tacoma hosts an array of those instruments, thanks to a growing community of musicians here.
Through the centuries, people have been entranced by keyboards that came way before our modern pianos and electronica. In the renaissance, they sang airs with the virginals. In the baroque era, they composed fugues on the harpsichord. By the 19th century, they were hammering away on startling new pianos.
Those instruments and others will be here for the annual conference for the Western Early Keyboard Association. Based in San Francisco, the WEKA – made up of players, teachers and students of early keyboards – usually holds its get-togethers in the Bay Area. But this year, the conference is in Tacoma.
It’s partly because Christ Church Episcopal Church is temporarily home to a baroque Italian organ restored by Roy builder Martin Pasi, as well as having its own Brombaugh instrument. It’s partly because Pacific Lutheran University boasts an internationally known organ by Tacoma maker Paul Fritts.
But it also is because of excellent musicians who’ve chosen Tacoma as home.
“There’s a growing nucleus of outstanding keyboardists who’ve moved here recently,” says David Dahl, organist at Christ Church and one of the conference organizers. Citing performers such as Naomi Shiga, John Wohlers and Mark Brombaugh (brother to the famous organ builder), Dahl is excited about the local early keyboard community. “They’re people who understand early music and historically inspired instruments as much as anybody. I’m not sure Tacomans realize just what we have here.”
The two-day conference, held at both Christ Church and PLU, is co-organized by respected Northwest musicians Jillon Stoppels Dupree, Barbara King and Kathryn Habedank, as well as Dahl. It features these performers and more, including PLU faculty members like Svend Ronning on baroque violin and international organists Jordi Vérges-Riart and Fabio Ciofini. There’ll be lectures/demonstrations of the historic 1750 Italian organ, the English virginals and two 19th-century pianos, plus a keyboard builders’ symposium. A Saturday night concert features Vérges-Riart and Ciofini playing four-hand organ music; the Sunday one sees PLU faculty playing music from the time of Thomas Jefferson. There’s a tour of the Fritts organ factory and numerous chances to see instruments up close. All events are open to the public as well as WEKA members.
But if you’re wondering what exactly is the difference between a harpsichord and clavichord, here’s the low-down on the unique instruments you can see and hear this weekend.
RENAISSANCE VIRGINALS
The virginals (or virginalls) was one of the earliest keyboard instruments, seen in paintings by Vermeer and heard by King Henry VIII. The one in the WEKA conference is a copy of a 1600 Ruckers from Amsterdam.
Looks: Shaped like a rectangular box without legs, it has strings running parallel to the length of the keyboard. Most have only 45 notes. They often had beautiful inlay or painting on the case.
Sound: Like harpsichords the strings are plucked, but because of the layout the sound is rich and fluty. And the name? Probably because the sound was like the voice of a young girl or virgin.
Hear it: At a seminar on early English music by Dr. Janet Pollack, Colorado State University, on Saturday (1 p.m.)
EARLY BAROQUE HARPSICHORD
Pretty, portable and louder than the virginals or clavichord, the harpsichord became the keyboard instrument of choice from around 1650-1750. Maker Owen Daly from Salem, Oregon will bring his 1995 copy of a 1681 French-school Vaudry.
Looks: Harpsichords have the same shape as a grand piano (triangular lid) but are much smaller and lighter, often with paintings inside the lid. Keys are carved wood, numbering around 48.
Sound: Keys activate plectra which pluck the strings, making a silvery, somewhat tinkly sound which doesn’t vary a lot in volume or tone.
Hear it: During the builders’ forum on Saturday afternoon (2:45 p.m.) and played by PLU professor Kathryn Habedank in the Sunday concert (3 p.m.)
BAROQUE ITALIAN ORGAN
Looks: Made around 1750 in Naples, this is a jewel among organs. It’s small – just nine feet high, four feet wide and two feet deep – with only five stops and no pedals. It’s a joy to look at, with elaborate carvings on the keys and gold leaf swirling all over. It’s housed at Christ Church until Roy restorer Martin Pasi can find a buyer.
Sound: The size gives the organ’s 241 pipes a delicate, fluty tone. Most importantly, though, is that it’s tuned to baroque pitch (lower than modern) in meantone temperament, a system that tunes some intervals exquisitely sweet and others deliciously discordant.
Hear it: It’s featured in a Saturday morning meantone organ workshop (11 a.m.) and a concert that night by Italian organist Fabio Ciofini and Jordi Verges-Riart from Spain (7:30 p.m.)
CLASSICAL CLAVICHORD
Looks: A rectangular keyboard instrument with keys on the left of the soundboard, the clavichord was popular as a practice keyboard from the medieval through classical periods. Seattle maker Jack Peters will bring his replica of a recently discovered 1762 clavichord by famous American builder David Tannenberg. He’ll also be bringing a harpsichord and a French epinette, a small harpsichord all the rage among rich 18th-century French ladies.
Sound: Similar to a harpsichord, but quieter.
Hear it: During the builders’ forum on Saturday afternoon (2:45 p.m.)
ROMANTIC-ERA PIANOS
These days, the piano sound we’re used to is the edgy and loud. But before the 20th century, the pianoforte (or, early on, the fortepiano) had far more subtlety. It was a new invention, having keys that activated hammers to hit the strings instead of pluck them, and it could play both softly (piano) and loudly (forte). For the WEKA conference, local restorer Michael Reiter is bringing a 1789 Broadwood and an 1846 Streicher.
Looks: The Broadwood is four feet square, mahogany, with no pedals. The Streicher looks more like a modern piano, 8 feet long, walnut finish and two pedals.
Sound: Early pianos have a whole range of nuanced tone colors. With just 65 notes (a modern piano has around 90), the Broadwood has a “very bright, thin tone,” says Reiter. The Streicher has 85 notes, a more mellow, singing voice, and while it’s quiet, it has a unusual length of sustain.
Hear them: Both in early piano presentation on Sunday afternoon (1:30 p.m.); the Streicher in the Sunday afternoon concert.
MODERN BROMBAUGH ORGAN
Looks: Built in 1979 by noted American builder John Brombaugh of Eugene, Oregon, this organ was modeled on the great baroque European organs. It has a mechanical key action and a hand-carved cedar and oak frame.
Sound: The Brombaugh has a singing tone, which is partly achieved through hammered high lead pipes.
Hear it: In a Saturday morning two-hands organ workshop (9:15 a.m.) and in the Saturday night concert by Ciofini and Verges-Riart.
Rosemary Ponnekanti: 253-597-8568
rosemary.ponnekanti@thenewstribune.com
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