Andrea Cavigliotti-Restoration of the fortepiano Graebner 1791:conditions instrument

ANDREA CAVIGLIOTTI
HARPSICHORDS & PSALTERIES-OLD PIANO RESTORATION

Home RESTORATION OF THE FORTEPIANO GRAEBNER 1791 n.94

CONDITIONS OF THE INSTRUMENT BEFORE RESTORATION

Date & Signature

graebner frontale The nameboard bears in its center the following fire mark:
LES FRERES GRAEBNER, Maitres d'instruments de Son Alt.Ser.l'Electeur de Saxe, à Dresde, dans la rue nommée Salzgasse. 1791 n.94

Case

mobile Walnut veneered case on spruce structure and bottom; lid, legs and damper-rail in solid walnut; nameboard and inner cheeks helm brier veneered and outlined by pearwood.
Central maple inlay on the nameboard bearing the inscription and the Saxony Elector coat-of-arms.

The instrument was well preserved especially in the action and in the phonic parts. The case, the legs and the lid were, on the contrary, very worm-holed. The central panel of the lid was very bended and unglued in two parts due to a marble statue pressing it for a long time. The lid stick and the music-rest were missing.

Apparently wax varnished, the fortepiano beared spirit varnish only on the nameboard and on the inner side of the cheeks.

The soundboard

tavola armonica

The soundboard is in spruce about 3 mm thick. Bridge and nut are in maple and the hitchpin rail is in pearwood.
Except some cracks in the treble part, the soundboard was substantially integral. An endoscope investigation inside the case permitted us to locate ribs and belly rails and to state their good conditions.

Wrestplank and Stringing

somiere

The walnut venereed oak wrestplank was raised on the left side (basses). The music-rest supports were fixed to the sider of the wrestplank on the spine and the cheek. The gauce numbers of the strings were ink marked on the nut. It's interesting to notice that the gauce numbers from 6(trebles) to 4/0 (basses) are rather thin: according to the Nuerberg system of numbering they correspond respectively to 0,28 mm and 0,76 mm.
Considering the loop shapes, many of the strings found on the instruments seemed to be original or anyway very ancient and corresponded almost completely to the gauge numbers written on the nut. It would be noticed that from FF to D# the strings were in red brass. Tuning pins, not pierced and surely originals, have two different diameters: from FF to g1 4,7 mm and from g1# to g3 4 mm.

The keyboard

Substantially in good conditions, the keyboard still had all its original parts except for two hammer hands and one hammer shank. All the felts were original too. Naturals are ebony covered and accidentals are in bone topped black stained pearwood.

Keyboard and action detail

The action

The action is of Viennese type, with wooden kapsels and damper jacks. The hammer heads bear only one layer of white leather, surely original. Many of the leathers on the beeks were not originals but the escapements are in perfect conditions.

Details of kapsels, escapements and dampers

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