What is it about?
In this paper the authors report on the life and work of three immigrant craftsmen who made pianofortes and related instruments in London in the period 1737–74, Roger Plenius, Herman Viator and Frederick Neubauer. The first two men met with great personal misfortunes, while Neubauer, crowned his career with a great triumph which has never been widely reported – supplying an elaborate harpsichord to Queen Catherine the Great of Russia in 1774. Our findings are drawn from contemporary newspaper notices and original manuscripts held at The National Archives, Kew and the Bancroft Library, London.
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Why is it important?
We present and discuss much new primary source evidence that throws new light on the history of the development of keyboard instruments in London in the mid eighteenth century. Certain documents also reveal underlying difficulties faced by two of the craftsmen concerned (Roger Plenius and Herman Viator) in their personal lives, thus adding human interest to their stories. The material will therefore be of particular interest not only for musicologists and organologists, but also for those with an interest in the history of London more generally.
Perspectives
This was a fascinating study to undertake. The court documents relating to the dispute between Roger Plenius and his erstwhile backer, Charles Cope, provide an excellent example of what valuable materials are to be found in the holdings of The National Archives, painting, as they do, a vivid picture of Plenius' life during the 1740s when he was struggling against the odds to make a complete Lyrichord. Being able to order digital copies of the scanned documents from The National Archives for secure download is also immensely useful, since, once downloaded onto a PC, one may take time study them at leisure. What is more, the images are then readily enlargeable for ease of inspection - a feature particularly useful in instances where words are difficult to decipher. As an educational technologist by training, I greatly appreciate this option for research study,
Dr Margaret Debenham
Independent Scholar
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Pioneer Piano Makers in London, 1737–74: Newly Discovered Documentary Sources, Royal Musical Association Research Chronicle, January 2013, Cambridge University Press,
DOI: 10.1080/14723808.2012.761771.
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