News Release (April 30, 1967)

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COLLEGE NEWS RELEASE NEW COLLEGE, SARASOTA, FLORIDA FURMAN C. ARTHUR INFORMATION FOR ULEASEa SUNDAY APRIL 30, 196 7 llarpsicbord building y be thought to be an art that died out evaral centuries a o but a New Colleg student has just completed one and it will be u ed by musicians in the upcoming Summer Music Festival. Harpsichord music has had a resurgence in recent ye rs and lietenin to recordin a few yeara a o led to the apurrin of interest in tba instrument for William D. Patterson, a first year science tud nt from Barberton, Ohio. Not ev n a usician, Patterson decided on the project for his second independent study project after talking with his faculty advisor, Christopher von tutor in usic. Patt rson found, after some correspondence, that one of the leadin harpsichord builders in the country also sells kits which teurs can build. With an agreement from the college to purchas the kit in return for the finished instrUMent, Patterson sent away and began his assembly just four weeka ago. The harp ichord ca co letaly disassembled, down to the tiny plectrums which pluck the strings to produce the unusual tone of the :t.nstr nt. more

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NEW COLLEGE Paga 2 Now with more than 100 man hours invested in the conetruct1on1 Patteraon feele that he is about done. Along with the actual chanica! work, though, he had to do a detailed research paper on the history of keyboard stringed instruments, as part of his requirement for academic approval of the entire project. The reticent Ohioan is reluctant to converse much about his project. Patterson d.1ts that he cannot even play it when the instrument is co pleted and describes its sound as that of "a echanical banjo", but it's evident he has grown attached to his harpsichord. Von Bacyer, though, is anxious for its completion. He and Dr. Arthur R. Borden Jr., Chairman of the Division of Humanities, and the man who authorized the purchase of the kit ee its uae by the college in the annual festival chamber music, and by various students and faculty studyin mua:t. c during the year Von Raey e r e hasizes thst although built from a kit the inatrument is no toy. "It's ideal for accompanying ch mber gToups or voicea in the performance of Baroque Ttrus1c1 he said. '''Ibe harpsichord also will b charminp in performing early French, English and German muaic and adequate for works by Couperin, Scarlatti and Bach." Von Baeyer said that to purchase the instrument would cost up to four times the invetment the college has made in the kit purchase. more -

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NEW COLLEGE Page 3 Patterson's harpsichord baa 57 keys and produces music by driving a jack. in which the plectrum is embedded cross the tal strings. A special strin permits the plectrum to slide back across the striu s on return without producing a sound. All of the construction work vas done in an empty room in the residence halls. Patterson aid he was able to round up all of th tools. cl s and ateriala he needed without any difficulty. Soon the new instrument will be placed in its own sp eial caaa in Hall. and its most difficult open! g test will ba when it is us d in chamber cone rts which are a art of the third annual S r Music Festival beginning Jun 11.