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Teacher note: A number of students contributed to these pages on Colonial times. Each contributed deferent information or a different perspective. You may find that each article adds to your understanding and research base.
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by Carissa M.(2002)
Our colonial craftsman is the colonial instrument maker. The job of the colonial instrument maker was to make, repair, and tune instruments, especially the harpsichord and/or violin. I researched how to make a spinet harpsichord. Much of the information in this section came from a video of Mr. Wilson, the musical instrument maker in Williamsburg, making a spinet harpsichord.
To make a spinet harpsichord, he first needs to boil a piece of seasoned walnut wood to make it pliable. Since the side of the case of the harpsichord is curved, he then clamps* the boiled wood onto a curved form. Once the wood dries, it will be curved to form the side of the spinet harpsichord's case. Then Mr. Wilson begins building the rest of the case. He uses dovetail joints to connect the pieces of wood, because they are stronger than simply using glue, which will eventually get loose as the glue ages. With dovetail joints, the edges interlock, to hide the glue and make the joints stronger. This also reduces the cost of the instrument, as wooden screws are rather expensive. This method is only used on the spine: the visible parts are covered in molding.
Next, the inside of the case is veneered with cypress wood. Mr. Wilson uses a toothed blade to prepare the bent side for the veneer. Then he applies glue to the cypress, (using a paintbrush) making sure the grain of the cypress and the walnut wood matches. When Mr. Wilson finally glues the two pieces of wood together, he puts paper in between the layers. As the glue dries, the paper will shrink, making the joints very tight. The panels are lined up and clamped. More paper is used, so the glue does not get to the core of the wood.
After the inside of the case is veneered, the case is assembled. Dovetail joints are used again. These joints must be very strong because they have to withstand the tension of the strings. Mr. Wilson uses string to hold the pieces of wood together while they dry. Simple joints are used on the front of the case. Internal bracing will help strengthen these weaker joints. Once the outside of the case is made, the inside is quickly assembled. A heavy oak bow will hold the tuning pins: it is massive enough to withstand the string tension. The basic case is finished by adding oak liners to the side, which will support the edges of the sound-board and take the hitch pin. Sloping braces are run from the curved side to the bottom of the case at the spine.
The keys are cut out of a large blank, a piece of wood made up of many basswood planks. He draws the whole keyboard first, using an ivory ruler. This is a much better and more accurate method than cutting each key out individually. Meanwhile, the journeyman builds the keybed, the framework to hold the keys. After the keys are all drawn, some other things must be done before they are sawed apart, like cutting mortises in front of the sharp keys. He uses a screwdriver-shaped blade to cut the holes, since that part of the wood is hard to get to with a saw. Next, the keys are separated using a thin-bladed saw, to leave a smaller gap between the keys. The journeyman puts pins into the keybed, which the keys will eventually pivot around. He puts these pins into holes that were pre-drilled straight through the keybed, and into the balance rail of the keyboard. Finally, he places the keys into the keybed. Spinet keys have no lead at the end of the key for weight, but the other end of each key is trimmed for the same effect. The white keys are covered in ivory, but the black keys are just covered in paint and varnish, to make them look like ebony. Once the journeyman is finished putting the keys into the keybed, he slides the entire keybed into the case.
Now the strings must be attached to the keys. Harpsichord strings are plucked by devices called jacks. These have to be in precise alignment, but still be able to move up and down when the keys are pressed. At this point, though, he has to put the register in the case: the register will hold the pins with the strings. The journeyman has to prepare the sound-board and glue it into the case before he can get to connecting the keys to the strings and the jacks. To prepare the sound-board, he has to sand it down. Then the treble end must be tapered to let it vibrate more freely. The sound-board is glued into the case. The holes in the keys for the pins must be drilled very precisely, so the keys line up. Once all of these holes have been drilled and checked for accuracy, the pins are installed, so the keys now pivot, and can move up and down. This particular harpsichord is strung with soft iron wire. The wire is wound tightly around pins so they won't come off. Bass strings are made of brass: back then, they didn't use wire-wrapped strings to make the bass notes sound lower. Next the journeyman installs the jacks into the harpsichord. Once these are all perfectly aligned, one damper is put in for each jack. These dampers help make sure the sound doesn't ring very harshly.
Meanwhile, Mr. Wilson has been creating the decorations for the outside of the harpsichord, using a method called "marquetry". He saws it out of a piece of wood and a piece of ebony, which are stacked on top of each other. He uses a jig, and makes two designs: one black and one white. To draw this design, the craftsman must be sure that he sees the space inside and outside of the pattern. Once he has cut out all the pieces, Mr. Wilson scorches all the white pieces, to add color all the way through. This way the color will not be scraped off by the sanding of the wood. He pieces all the sections together, glues them into place, and puts the decorations into the side of the case. After coats of shellac are spread onto this design, the maker's name is written in ink, and more shellac is spread on.
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A modern painting of a harpsichord
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Mr. Wilson tunes all the notes by ear, based on the one pitch that he got from the tuning fork. The lid is attached, all hinges and locks are nailed in, the harpsichord is put on its wooden stand, and the harpsichord is finished.
Some of the tools of the trade used in this craft that were not mentioned in
how to make a harpsichord are a bending iron, a hammer, a file,
a hand router, a sanding block, a template, and wire
cutters. Many tools of the trade are depicted in the graphic on this page.
There were many skills that would be necessary to be the colonial instrument
maker in Williamsburg. Obviously, woodworking skills are vital to being an instrument
maker. You also need to have very sharp attention to detail, and a good eye
for choosing the correct weight of wood for the instrument. Finally, since the
instrument maker tunes almost the entire instrument by ear, he must have a very
good sense of pitch. To run the shop, you would have to have leadership skills,
as well as all the skills needed to successfully execute the craft.
To train to be a musical instrument maker, you must go through seven years of training as an apprentice, under a skilled journeyman. You would work for room and board, in a manner similar to that of many other crafts.
The setting for this craft was usually in a shop. This craft
was more commonly seen in the center of town, rather than in the countryside
because many in the country simply could not afford to own an instrument, so
the instrument maker in the country would not have a very good business.
Society did not depend on this craft. Rich society showed their wealth with
instruments and music. This craft provided a luxury, and so it was only useful
to the upper class. Since it was just a luxury to have instruments, and instruments
just proved how much money you had, the instrument maker was not necessary in
all societies.Every town had musical instruments to use for entertainment, but
violins and fiddles were much more common than harpsichords, since harpsichords
were much more expensive and less portable. Musical instruments became very
popular in Williamsburg. The business thrived there, where it had only barely
existed in earlier settlements. Only men did this craft, and men were mostly
the only ones who played instruments, but women played the spinet harpsichord
later on.
The harpsichord eventually developed into the piano, the organ, and other common
instruments that we all know and love today. Today, it
would be satisfying to make this craft because you would be able to play the
instruments that you made yourself. Also, you could have the satisfaction of
seeing your own hand-made instruments go for sale. You might want
to do this craft because it is fun to be able to use it, and people pay a lot
of money for hand-made things. Today, large companies such as Yamaha mass produce
musical instruments with machinery. Musical instruments are still useful, although
they are still considered a luxury by many people.
Yoseline R.
The craft I'm working on is Musical Instruments. But the one I'm specifically
researching on is a violin.
The best violins were made from very special and good wood. The violins are made out of maple and spruce. When it comes to hollowing of the plates the maker is confronted with one of the more difficult aspects of the making of an instrument. One of the reasons for the difficulty of mass-producing violins is the fact that the wood never has the same properties, even pieces of the spruce or maple from the same tree.
The rough flinches of wood used for the front back and back plates are glued
together with joints that must last perhaps for hundreds of years. To shape
the outline of the thin strips of maple called the ribs; a mould is made which
is later removed from the structure. To resonate easily, the front and back
plates must be worked fairly thin. The inlaying of the purfling which also serves
the purpose of adding visual style then reinforces the edges of the thin plates.
The plates to the proper thickness along with the cutting of the sound holes
and fitting and gluing the bass bar are really the most difficult aspects of
violin making.
In the Renaissance there are strong evidence to support the fact that the classical violinmakers employed geometric construction involving the influence of the early Greek and roman theorists such as Pythagorean, Plato and Virtuous. Making a violin requires great patience. This is especially true when it comes the graduation of the thickness, as each individual piece of wood has it's own properties, being a natural material. It takes a long time to shape and thin the wood, tapping and flexing it until the maker is satisfied with the response of each piece. After they're done building it they coat it with a glorious veil of tinted varnish.
As we see a violin takes a lot of patience. Even now people still use the same materials and take it very serious. I would not be able to build a violin because I don't have the time neither the patient. But I think it is pretty cool how they use different type of woods and tools. This was a fun experience I had.
The Instrument Maker - the Violin
By Kelly B.
Our
project was to work on the instrument maker. The instrument maker made, repairs,
and tunes instruments. Some of the instruments they make are spinet harpsichords,
violins, and possibly bells. The violin is made out of curved pieces, made by
a bending iron in all different shapes, then glued together with clamps. More
strips of wood are then added in the form, called liners. They are installed
along the edge to provide more gluing surface for the front and back. Corner
blocks glued along the edges are then rounded. The back is made out of two pieces
from the same spruce wood. Then the two pieces are hook latched, which gives
a symmetrical pattern to the back. This gives not only a visual symmetry but
also an acoustic one to. Then after tracing the back, the person cuts it out
with a hand made saw. Next, the person uses a chisel to round off the rough
parts on the back, of the violin. Then, he draws strait line across the smooth
surface using a pencil and a ruler to see if there are any remaining bumps can
be found in the arch. The person has to keep in mind though, whatever corrections
you do to the top you have to do to the bottom. Once the out side is made the
inside can now be carved out. He doses this by drilling holes that stop with
at certain point with a jig. The carver is then given guidelines to scoop out
the bulk of the wood. He's safe as long as long as he doesn't go past the holes.
After the back is carved out it can be tuned with a tuning fork. The back is
now ready to be glued to the sides. The back is not the same thickness everywhere;
this enables the back to be tuned. He used this same process for the front.
He used a template to draw on the decorations and then cut them out after both
front and back are glued together, a baseball, is then made and fitted to the
top under the bridge. The scroll is the next thing to be made. He uses a template
to trace and cut out the scroll. Then, the final touches for the scroll are
chiseled in. The neck is then fitted to the body and glued. In order to decrease
the string tension, a block is hammered in to the bottom of the violin. Holes
for the pins are drilled and the pins are then put in with a hammer. Next, the
fingerboard is made andglued on to the scroll. After the pins are carefully
placed in the holes then varnish is painted on with a brush. For a darker color
sometimes 20 or more coats of varnish are added. Last, the stings are added
and the violin is tuned again.
The
setting takes place at the instrument maker's shop. His shop is usually more
in town than in the countryside. This was so because; the people in the countryside
were not as rich as people in town so, the instrument maker had better business
in town.
Some required skills the instrument maker needed to know in the colonial days
were, the major one being woodworking. The instrument maker had to know the
right wood for different instruments. Another skill was he had to have a good
ear (good since of pitch). Attention to detail was also important. The instrument
maker also probably needs to know how to manage accounts, and show leadership
(boss). The instrument maker first had to go threw 7 years of apprenticeship
working for a skilled journeyman. He learned how be make instruments for no
pay, instead he got a room, food and clothing.
The society didn't really deepened on this craft; instead they showed their
wealth by owning the instruments. This craft was not necessary to survive instead,
it was a luxury. The instruments were usually used as entertainment because
there were no televisions or radios. The rich mostly used it since they could
afford them. This craft was not necessary to society but a luxury instead.
Seeing the craft you make go for sale would be very satisfying as a craftsman.
Also being able to play your own instruments that you make would be nice to.
A craftsman would mainly do this for the money he would make. It would also
be fun to make and play the instrument. A musical company such as Yamaha would
make these instruments today. Instruments are till used today but still as a
luxury.
Every town had instruments to use as entertainment violins and fiddles were
more common though, because the harpsichord was more expensive. The instruments
were more common in Willamsburg because there were manly more people for the
business to thrive in earlier settlements.
This site is created and maintained by Holly
Geddes.
Last updated on
April 3, 2003
