The following was written by my late wife Elaine. She wrote a long book, a diary really, from which this is one passage:
Harpsichord
Dave and I enjoyed a long friendship for over 30 years with English friends, Ruth and Ron C., beginning in Warrenton, Virginia. We met at a party and, besides liking each other, what seemed to bond us immediately was that Ron owned a Zuckerman Harpsichord which he built from a kit.
Building a harpsichord was a project Dave had considered ever since he had heard Handel’s Messiah performed with original instruments in Arlington. He said it was transcendental for him and led to lifelong appreciation of Baroque music.
Meanwhile, we had become friends with John and Linda Shortridge, who were professional harpsichord builders in Aldie, Virginia. Inspired by these friends and instrument builders, Dave decided around this time to go ahead and do it!
He researched available harpsichords and chose the Hubbard. It’s designer was a scholar and builder in Massachusetts named Frank Hubbard. Dave inquired about kits and we ended up driving to Redding, Connecticut, to Ruth and Ron’s house, and from there we all drove together to Waltham, Massachusetts to see Hubbard’s studio and purchase the kit Dave wanted.
“Kit” is a misleading name for them, because they are a far cry from “glue A to B,” to “glue Y to Z.” It was a very long and complicated job, and Dave did a beautiful job building it, up in the loft/studio over the stable in Warrenton.
It was used for Christmas cantata programs in Warrenton, under the direction of an old friend, a choral conductor and musicologist. We invited another music friend to bring his Warrenton Jr. High School Chorus to our house to see the harpsichord, and all the kids who came signed their names on a thank you letter from he and the school principal.
The harpsichord was used for concerts in Lewisburg several times as the accompaniment instrument for The Messiah at the Old Stone Presbyterian Church, and in May 1987 as part of a musical program, An Afternoon and Evening of Imagination at Carnegie Hall. The Greenbrier Hotel’s resident musician, Mr. Fearnley, played the 1904 tracker pipe organ that was resident in Carnegie Hall. I demonstrated Dave’s harpsichord, and a long list of other people played selections on the piano. The money raised from this event was for the restoration of the Hall’s Baldwin Grand piano.
Dave carefully tuned the harpsichord several times after it had been moved to Carnegie Hall for the concert, including a few minutes before the concert began since its delicate wooden parts quickly go out of tune, due to room temperature and humidity changes. He and the harpsichord were engaged by the Greenbrier Hotel from time to time, for private concerts. Complimentary dinner in the grand dining room was a fringe benefit for Dave and I whenever they borrowed the instrument.
On December 1, 1989, the Roanoke Symphony directed by Maestro Victoria Bond came to Carnegie to present an exciting concert which included Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto No. 5 in D Major. The accompaniment and its glorious credenza was performed by Dr. James Leland from Hollins College in Roanoke, who was the symphony’s guest harpsichordist.
At one point during Dr. Leland’s solo, the audience whistled and cheered and clapped, just like they do at jazz concerts! I’d never heard baroque music receive such a reaction, and it was thrilling for Dave and I, needless to say. It seemed just right!
To be continued…
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About the Author: RD Blakeslee (1931 – 2024) built his net worth by only investing in that which can be enjoyed during acquisition and throughout life, as opposed to papers in a drawer, like stocks and bonds. You can read more about him here.
Photos: Courtesy of the Blakeslee Family
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