Extracts from some reviews of Clavichord Tuning and Maintenance by Peter Bavington
These are some of the comments made in published reviews:
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Penelope Cave, writing in The Consort, Summer 2008:
- If you play or own any early keyboard
instrument, buy this book! If you own and
play the clavichord, order it now!
Normally I review the contents of a book
and come gradually to my conclusion, but
lest you should not get beyond this first
paragraph, I repeat, This is a must-have
manual... I defy fellow keyboard
owners who have to maintain and tune
their clavichords (or harpsichords and
early pianos), not to gain something from
this beautifully written and presented
volume...
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David Hitchin, writing in the British Clavichord Society Newsletter No. 39 (October 2007):
- ... The maintenance topics cover environment and general care, replacing broken strings, making hitch-pin loops, dealing with sticking keys, listing, tangent voicing, faults affecting tuning, knocks, rattles and squeaks, and overwound strings. Everything is clearly explained, with many excellent diagrams... My strings rarely break, but I almost look forward to the opportunity to replace them with neater coils which are easy to adjust to ensure correct downbearing. The book lists suppliers for many of the common and obscure tools and materials useful for clavichord maintenance...Tuning methods and temperaments are a perennial source of differences of opinion. Peter Bavingtons book begins with a clear account of the issues, limiting theoretical discussion to the minimum which is necessary for practical tuning. The methods are simple, relying whenever possible on
comparing the quality of intervals rather than counting beats... There are several other matters specifically related to fretted clavichords which I have not seen anywhere else...This book is essential reading for all but the most expert clavichord owners and even those who have all of the original articles would be well advised to purchase it.
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Francis Knights, writing in Early Music vol. XXXVI no. 3 (August 2008):
- ... For those out of reach of professional maintenance
skills, Peter Bavington's new book will enable owners of a
comatose clavichord to bring it fully back to life. Aimed
at the amateur user, and assuming little in the way of previous
keyboard-adjustment skills, Bavington draws on
several decades of experience as a leading clavichord
maker and restorer. Recognizing that an out-of-tune
instrument with a poor action will give no pleasure to
either player or listener, he provides a very thorough
200-page guide to all issues of tuning and maintenance... numerous helpful line illustrations make all Bavington's methods crystal-clear... This is quite simply the most essential book for
any clavichord player to own, and even owners of spinets,
virginals and harpsichords will find much of relevance
and value in its pages.
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- Lance Whitehead, wiriting in the Galpin Society Journal, No. LXI (April 2008):
- ... The author believes that clavichord owners should tune and maintain their own instruments and this excellent book, based on a series of articles that first appeared in the British Clavichord Society Newsletter between 1995 and 2001, enables one to do just that... It is written in a relaxed style for the novice and the reader is carefully led through a labyrinth of tuning systems, while the copious line drawings assist with such things as the making of hitch-pin loops and tuning pin coils. The tuning schemes in part three organised according to clavichord type – multiple-fretted, triple-fretted, diatonically-fretted anc unfretted – are particularly well thought out... I am pleased to say that at least one clavichord has already come out of retirement as a result of this book and I am sure that many more will do so in the future.