Hi Andrew,
As an update-correction to my yesterday's post where I mentioned (quote) The
earliest guittars with watch keys by Preston can probably be dated by 1760s
(end of quote), there is at least one EG in the V&A labelled "Remerius
Liessen,1756" which is, according to the inscription in the display case,
"an early example of the use of the 'watch-key tuning' mechanism". I do not
remember what this instrument looks like but I will have a look on the next
occasion; i.e. there is a possibility that the mechanism could be a later
replacement. Another EG from the same collection, by "W.Gibson, 1765" has
worm-gear tuners. So if the first one is not converted (the second is
definitely genuine) then both instruments seem to predate the date of the
quoted advertisement. This doesn't exclude of course that Hintz couldn't be
an inventor of either of them or, indeed, both, but ...
Alexander
----- Original Message -----
From: Andrew Rutherford
To: Alexander Batov
Cc: cittern list
Sent: Friday, November 30, 2007 3:43 PM
Subject: Re: [CITTERN] Re: Preston tuner history
Hi cittern people,
The instrument maker and publisher John Frederick Hintz, in an advertisement
in "The Public Advertiser", March 17th 1766, claims to have invented
something that may be the watchkey tuning system (not to mention the
instrument itself): "...after many years Study and Application in
endeavouring to bring this favourite instrument the Guittar (being the first
Inventor) still to a greater perfection in regard to tuning and keeping the
same in Tune, which has always been a principal Defect as well as
inconvenient, has now found out, on a principal entirely new, several
Methods, whereby it is much easier and exacter tuned, and also remains much
longer in tune than any Method hitherto known."
I got this passage from Lanie Graf at the Moravian Archives in Pennsylvania.
She's studying Hintz and his relationship with the Moravian community in
London (and America). Peter Holman is also looking into this topic, I
understand.
andy rutherford
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