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© 2011, Ed Kottick
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July 2011. The recession that hit a few years ago really affected craft businesses like mine. My modest business just dried up-no commissions, not even any repair work. It was as if a spigot had been turned off. A few months ago that spigot was turned back on, and my shop is now full of repair work. Many people ask me how Zuckermann weathered the storm, and I'm happy to report that they kept their heads above water and the shop once again is going full tilt.

Last year the ZHI shop made two copies of the little "Troubadour" virginal I designed for them a few years ago. Both were sold to professional harpsichordists, who were attracted by its portability and simplicity.

In September of last year I lectured at the Ackland Art Museum on the campus of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, with the topic of "Fruit, Flowers, Floozies, Fripperies, and Finishes: A Fleet Frolic through Harpsichord Decoration." It was something of a homecoming for me, since I had earned my doctorate at UNC back in the early 60s. I was gratified to discover that two people who had been fellow graduate students at that time were in the audience!

I'm still directing music for shows. I just finished "West Side Story," and am about to do "The Sound of Music." Coming up are "White Christmas," "Gigi," and "Guys and Dolls." And I'm still playing trombone and euphonium. A few months ago I played trombone in a production of "A Little Night Music."

September, 2010. The biennial Boston Early Music Festival and Exhibition began in 1981, and I've been to every one of them; but not last year, and perhaps not again. Early music has become so main-stream there seems to be little point in it for me anymore (although the BEMFE opera productions are truly magnificent). In no way is this intended to discourage anyone from going to the Festival. It's still a great affair; but after all these years I'm jaded.

2007 saw the completion of my 50^th harpsichord, a Franco-Flemish double, commissioned by a professor of finance at the University of Northern Iowa.

The American Musical Instrument Society honored me with their Curt Sachs Award in May of 2006, at the Society's 2006 meeting at the National Music Museum in Vermillion, SD. The citation bears the following text:

"The Board of Governors of the American Musical Instrument Society records its pleasure in designating Edward L. Kottick the recipient of the 2006 Curt Sachs Award in recognition of his outstanding contributions to the appreciation of the harpsichord and to the understanding of its historical development, physical characteristics, and acoustical properties through his distinguished work as a scholar, author, lecturer, builder, and designer."

The Neapolitan harpsichord I designed for Zuckermann Harpsichords continues to sell well, both as kits and finished instruments. To say that this instrument is "interesting" is putting it mildly, since it is built all of maple, including the soundboard, a typical Neapolitan practice.

Another design I did recently was a double-fretted clavichord (compass C-f 3 chromatic) after the 1784 Hubert in Edinburgh. I finished the prototype at the beginning of this year, and it is indeed an outstand clavichord (for which I cannot take credit, since all I did was re-design Hubert's work for kit construction). More sets of parts should be available soon.

At ZHI's request I recently designed a small, simple virginal, suitable for the jobbing harpsichordist, that will fit into the back seat of a car. We call it "The Troubador." The shop is finishing the prototype now.

Over the past few years I've been creating construction manuals for Zuckermann Harpsichords, building the instruments as I write. I find it challenging and fulfilling work. So far I've done the octave virginal (which I designed), the double-fretted King of Sweden clavichord (which I redesigned), the new Italian virginal, the new five-octave unfretted clavichord, the Neapolitan Italian, and the Hubert clavichord. I've also done the two Flemish singles (1x8', 1x4' and 2x8'), the Flemish double, the conversion kits for the old 5' slant side (the original Zuckermann harpsichord), the 6' slant side, and all the early Flemishes. I am also doing technical support for the kit instruments.

As always, my shop is busy with repair work, an activity I enjoy a great deal.

I continue to practice my new career as music director/conductor of musical theater. Last year I did "Camlelot," and this year Bernstein's "Wonderful Town" and the great classic "South Pacific." In January of 2011 I'll be doing "My Fair Lady."

And I resumed playing the trombone, the instrument I abandoned 45 years ago. I've played in some pit orchestras, and also play regularly with a quartet (in which I play the sackbut) and a quintet. Why did I ever quit?

You can get some information on my latest book, A History of the Harpsichord, including the Table of Contents, on the IU Press web site.

On September 24, 2010, I will be in the Ackland Art Museum in Chapel Hill, NC, lecturing on the subject of harpsichord decoration for an event called "Old & New/Bold & Blue" Art of the Harpsichord." It is sponsored by Alienor, an organization devoted to contemporary music for the harpsichord. The title of my talk is "Fruit, Flowers, Floozies, Fripperies, and Finishes: A Fleet Frolic through Harpsichord Decoration."