Harpsichord making is listed as an “endangered” craft here: Keyboard instrument making | Heritage Crafts
It’s a somewhat pessimistic vision, as the site says only 5 makers and 1 apprendice in UK (but then lists 14), and nobody elsewhere: France, Italy (we in Italy have currently about 20 makers), Germany, Austria etc. To say nothing of USA, Canada, Australia etc. Evermore, there is a fair number of amateur makers.
Moreover, the organological knowledge built in the last 50-60 years shall not be erased. There are books, videos, articles, a whole lot of great harpsichords to study, apprentices, and so on.
BUT we cannot deny that the harpsichord movement is in its fall, so I asked myself whether there actually is something we could lose forever in a few years.
I’d say no for techniques and organological knowledge.
Neither for materials: hide glue will not be discontinued as there is a huge number of restorers and the like who need hide glue. Should it be discontinued, there is a great amount of knowledge so somebody could start producing it.
Same for the bone. Wood: some trees are scarce now and it will not go any better, but alternatives are available.
Ruckers papers, oil paint are not endangered. Pins (even tuning pins) are readily makeable yourself.
And so on.
This is not true for the wires. Today we rely primarily on two producers of more or less historical strings: Stephen Birkett and Malcolm Rose. Maybe we could add Little Falls Alloy for brass and Westphalian iron for iron strings. Both are reportedly less satisfactory to the harpsichord maker than Malcolm Rose and - ever more - Stephen Birkett.
Both haven’t published their composition and procedure (I don’t know anything about Little Falls and Westphalian) so when they will stop producing the harpsichord world will remain without historical strings. This is the single reason for harpsichord making being endangered. Are we relying to too few sources to feel confident for the future?
There are other risks, too: for example museums no longer sell their drawings, or much less, we can only rely on Marc Vogel for drawings. But the strings are, in my opinion, the only part of the harpsichord we just must have an external source for, both for the know how and for the material production.
(Roberto Mattiazzo, an Italian maker, used to draw his wire and sell it: Corde per clavicembalo
I haven’t tried them, however his production seems ti have stopped: http://www.robertomattiazzo.com/)
What do you think?
Dom