R. K. Lee Harpsichord Drawings
www.harpsichord.org.uk
A range of plans for building early keyboard instruments and some other early instruments are available.
I am also introducing CD-roms of photographs from my
archives. These typically consist of closeup photographs of every
technical detail of the instrument that is the subject. These
CD-roms thus far, are the 1736 Hemsch, The 1765 Blanchet, the Rossi
Virginals (all of them eventually), and Andreas Ruckers sound board
paintings.
My prices, as of February 2004 , in
U. S. Dollars (includes mailing) are as follows.
ab Yberg Family Organ of 1540 c. = $226
The Delin Plan set with mylar templates = $506
The 1736 Hemsch Full size plan = $162
The 1778 J. P. Bull Full size plan = $167
The Perticis 1684 Virginals (36') = $74
The Perticis 1681 Harpsichord (36") = $78
The 1640 Andreas Ruckers (36") = $72
The 1765 Blanchet Double (D size) = $42
The 1677 F. A. (36") = $76
The Salpinx (C size) = $29
Ulrich Fischer Tromba Marine (Adkins 36" Plan) 1720 = $98
Anonymous Italian Rose c. 1690 = $42
Rossi Rose 16th Century = $34
Stearns Coll. Italian Rose, 17th C. = $32
Perticis 1681 Rose = $32
Rossi CD-rom (Please e-mail to me at
Ruckers CD-rom = $60
Hemsch CD-rom = $60
Blanchet CD-rom = $60
I welcome enquiries at
Roger Kenneth Lee
BIOGRAPHY
In 1948, in association with my close friend, Arthur Chandler Jr who was an organist, we began a lifelong study of early keyboard instruments. At that time we became friendly with John Challis, Claude Jean Chiasson, and Sybil Marcuse who gave me an opportunity to see her Ruckers and Couchet harpsichords. In 1950, I began a part time apprenticeship with Frank Hubbard and William Dowd for four years during the period when Frank Hubbard was performing the research on his well known book, "Three Hundred Years of Harpsichord Making". At the same time, I completed my studies at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Mechanical Engineering, Specializing in machine design, materials and processes, and acoustics. From Frank Hubbard, I learned a great deal about restoration, especially Italian instruments.
In the years since 1955, after I left Hubbard and Dowd, I maintained a close contact with them in both their joint and separate endeavors, while I pursued an engineering career in precision mechanics. In my profession, I was fortunate to attend to International Center for Aerial Survey in Delft, the Netherlands which also gave me the opportunity to visit many European instrument collections, using my trusty volume of Boalch as a guide. I found that the study of instruments while sited in museum conditions was awkward in view of the difficulty of scheduling visits that were driven by my researches in precision mechanics for optical instruments and industries. It is much better to collect information on individual instruments while they are apart for restoration, than to see them in fixed exhibits. Much information is learned in restoration and conservation activities, and I firmly believe that it should be made available to interested workers in as much detail as possible.
Therefore, over the years when the opportunity has presented itself, either in my own restoration activities, or in restorations carried out by Frank Hubbard or William Dowd, I have gathered data in order to produce detailed drawings of keyboard instruments. Both Frank Hubbard and I were fortunate to have Dr. Martin Zimmerman, head of the Harvard University Forestry Department apply his extensive knowledge of tree Botany to identify wood species for us. To make my drawings, I use every possible data source, from my glass plate photogrammetric camera, to simple rulers, trammels and endoscopes. In the following pages, I list the drawings that I have published, now joined by others, Dr. Cecil Adkins, and Ms. Mary Kirkpatrick. Ms. Barbara Lambert, Albert Fuller, and Dr. Richard Rephann graciously gave me access to collections that were in their care.
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