Grantville Gazette - Volume V (34 page)

Just recently, we decided to stage a concert for Saint Stephen's day with a program of down-time and up-time music. I look forward to the event.

While I was busy with my music studies, Girolamo and Johannes didn't remain idle. Their plan was first to learn all they could about pianos, then to restore a few of them and only at that point, once they had learned where they could get all the materials they needed, to start building new ones.

Pianos come in different dimensions and shape: there are the upright pianos, whose soundboard and strings are in a vertical position, made to be used in normal or small places. There are the baby grands, similar in shape and dimensions to an harpsichord, that require, for a perfect sound, a larger room, and then there is
non plus ultra
of instruments, the concert grand, whose sonority makes them perfect for concert halls.

Girolamo bought a few upright pianos, some of them in very bad shape, and two baby grands. People had begun to realize the value of those unique instruments and even if buying them was a true bleeding I never saw my artisan friend pay such a sum so gladly.

Quite unexpectedly, he managed to find a grand piano in a place called the Bowers Mansion. This villa, that used to belong to a rich family here in Grantville, is the closest thing to a
palazzo
the Americans have and it's now used as the administrative center for the region. The piano was left abandoned just before the Ring of Fire when the last member of the Bowers family died.

Buying the pianoforte has not been as easy as Girolamo believed. Some of our German friends have decided to start making modern instruments and the grand piano was a terrific asset for them as well. The purchase became a ferocious bidding between the two parties. I was afraid Girolamo was about to have an apoplexy when he paid the final sum, but, thanks to the glory of Venetian ducats, still the best coin in Europe, he managed to bring the piano home.

The piano must weigh at least eight hundred pounds and is made by an American craftsman called Steinway. It is totally black, made in walnut, spruce, birch and poplar. The harp is made of iron and the strings are of the finest steel and brass.

The piano had been visibly neglected in the last years The frame was scratched and dented, one of the legs broken and clumsily patched, some of the actions were broken and some other (together with a few of the precious strings) were missing. Despite this, the instrument was a sturdy one and Girolamo is still very optimistic about giving it a second life.

The night the piano arrived at the shop Girolamo seemed very concerned. He was worried about an inevitable rise in costs brought by a competition on all fronts with Hans Riebeck. So, the same night, he invited all the partners of Bledsoe and Riebeck to the Gardens and he tried to convince them to form a commercial alliance or, at least, to "divide the cake" to use a very colorful American phrase. Girolamo's offer was to cooperate to get together all the materials they might need instead of fighting for them. He was adamant about the rightness of his idea and he spent all night trying to talk his competitors into it. The Germans did not agree right away, but they looked very thoughtful when we left. I am sure that they will see the sense of it.

Since then Girolamo has been working frantically. I've seen him disembowel uprights and lay all their components on the huge table in the large garage. I've seen him taking parts from one piano and working on them until they fit on another. I've seen him studying manuals until late night, manuals in a language he still has problems to master. He was grateful, he said, to have been able to purchase a set of up-time tools. They are so much better to work with than his old ones, and in some cases absolutely necessary.

Surprisingly, Johannes was the first to produce a profit, and with the simplest idea.

Up-time cellos have a pin at the bottom of the instrument that permits the players to keep them upright without holding them tight between their knees. This simple innovation saves a sensible amount of the musician's energy and permits him to focus his attention completely on his performance, improving it drastically. Johannes sold the whole idea to the guild in Fussen, and, at basically no costs, was able to earn the first hard money for the company. I would not be surprised if they will start making cellos with the long pin very soon.

Ten days ago, when I was about to come home after a long day of musical studies, I heard Girolamo calling me from the garage. I hurried up, and, as soon as I entered the room, he invited me to sit in front of one of the uprights; the one that was in the best shape when acquired. I could hear the excitement that was barely contained in Girolamo's voice.

Even if the frame didn't have the rich ornaments and paintings that are Girolamo's signature; I could proudly read "Pianoforti Zenti" beautifully carved on a small silver plate just above the keyboard.

"So you fixed it," I said, in Italian.

"
Si
, I think it's done. Tuning it was a pain in the ass, and I would never have done it without the kind assistance of Hermann Katzberg, but I really think you should try it. It is my special present to the man who will change the musical world. This way some of your future glory will ooze back to me."

I stood still for a while, speechless and sincerely moved by such a present. Then my hands almost moved by themselves and started playing a composition I had written for organ a few years before and I just recently transcribed and enriched for piano with Mrs. Jordan's help.

While the notes where flowing from my hands to the wooden keys I felt something grandiose growing in me. All my fears and doubts of the months before were vanishing from my soul and a sense of strength and determination were digging their way into the deepest part of my heart.

I think that was the first time I played the piano without committing any mistakes.

In all this turmoil of events I had completely forgotten about my patron, Stefano Landi. Well, he didn't forget me because he recently sent me an irate letter asking me if I had found something about him and his works. It's not very Christian of me, but I can say with a certain satisfaction that I haven't found much. In the universe where the Americans came from Maestro Landi was probably too busy fighting with his sickness or enjoying his glory to compose anything worth being archived here in Grantville.

For a few days I wasn't sure if I should have written him the truth, but then I've had another moment of luck that gave me the idea for a small ruse. Apparently, just before the Ring of Fire, in a part of the USA called Michigan, there had been a revival of French Baroque Opera. The artists of this century will be known as
barocchi
by our posterity, even if I would much rather be called contemporary or
stil novista
. After all, as my American friends would say, I am a plain guy and I hardly believe someone may consider me bizarre. Too bad we cannot control the opinion history will have of us.

Anyway, the music and the libretto of an opera named
Les fetes de l'ete
written by a composer called Monteclair made it here to Grantville before the Ring of Fire, somehow. I bought them, together with other music sheets. I plan to have it copied it and to send it to Rome.

Even if the style is different from Landi's, I can always explain that this opera was considered to be a revolutionary piece, a true advancement in composition and style. Considering the vastness of Landi's ego, that should soothe any of his doubts. Besides, I suspect the Barberini will appreciate having an opera in French played in their theater and Landi loves whatever makes the Barberini happy.

I know it's not very honest of me and, I confess, it gnaws at my conscience. I can only hope that this Monteclair, somewhere in another universe's heaven, would be glad to know that his opera will be staged again.

In the last days people here have been very nervous. We see more movements of troops and everybody is waiting for a move from one of the many forces that are putting Gustavus Adolphus' lands under siege. Just yesterday, Girolamo was almost caught in a brawl at the Gardens with some of the Scottish soldiers stationed here. I am glad he managed to remain calm and simply walk out unscathed. He is saying he wants to go to Magdeburg to scout the place. I hope he does it soon; being on the road again should calm him down.

I am worried, Father. Today there is something in the air that doesn't smell good. A few minutes ago, the town became silent. There is no trace of the strong background noise that fills our lives night and day. I need to interrupt my writing and ask what is happening. Is it another raid on the town?

I am just back with the direst of news. What everyone dreaded has just happened. The League of Ostend has attacked Wismar and war is upon us. It seems that the attack has been repelled, but some young soldiers, loved by the people of this town, have been killed.

Pray for me, for us, Father, because we need it more than ever. I look forward to receiving another of your letters should they make it here.

Your humble servant and student

Giacomo Carissimi

By Iver P. Cooper

In the early seventeenth century, there was already a vigorous international trade in glassware. The world center for glassmaking was in Venice, and the Venetians were most famous for tableware and glass mirrors made of the colorless
cristallo
. Germany and Bohemia were known for large, decorated drinking glasses, especially those of the green shade which came to be known as
waldglas
. The French craftsmen of Lorraine and Normandy made both clear and stained glass for windows, some of which was exported.

What, then, do the up-timers of Grantville have to offer experienced Renaissance glass workers? New types of glass (notably borosilicate and lead-alkali glass) will make possible much improved laboratory glassware and optical instruments. New manufacturing methods will allow the production of glass products at a greater rate and at a lower price than what the down-timers would have thought possible. And there are some new glass products for them to consider.

It is fortunate that the up-timers will be attempting merely to inject new ideas into an already vigorous and innovative down-time industry, not recreating glass technology from scratch. Most of the Grantville library books that are specifically about glass are really about collecting antique glass, appreciating art glass, and so forth, rather than about glass technology. It may be interesting to see how the Venetians react to photographs of the creations of Tiffany, Lalique and Chihuly, but art glass books are not going make it easier to operate a chemical laboratory or manufacture modern optics.

Fortunately, at least four different encyclopedias were transported to 1632 by the Ring of Fire. The public library has the
Encyclopedia Americana
, and both the modern and the 1911 editions of the
Encyclopedia Britannica
. The high school has the
World Book Encyclopedia
, and the junior high, the
Collier's
. Collectively, they provide sample glass compositions and at least outlines of several important manufacturing processes.

There may be more information available from Grantville residents. Edith Wild (1949-16??) was employed in a glass factory before the Ring of Fire ("The Wallenstein Gambit"
Ring of Fire
), and several retired glassworkers are listed in the "Up-timers Grid."

About 95% of modern glass production is of "silicate system" glass, in which the glass-forming material is silicon dioxide (silica). The properties of a silicate glass can be altered by adding to it a variety of substances. Fluxes reduce the temperature at which the glass softens, making it easier to work. Stabilizers improve the chemical and mechanical properties of the finished glass. Colorants and decolorants change its optical properties.

Two types of modern glass are already familiar to down-timers. About 90% of modern silicate glass production is of soda lime glass, which is used in bottles, windows, light bulbs, and tableware. The silica is combined with sodium oxide flux and calcium oxide stabilizer. Usually, the silica is from sand (or quartz pebbles), the sodium oxide is formed from sodium carbonate (soda ash), and the calcium oxide is derived from calcium carbonate (limestone). There are also potash lime glasses ("Bohemian glass"), which feature potash (potassium oxide) instead of soda. These glasses were used, prior to 1632, to make stained glass windows.

So far as major
new
glasses are concerned, the major up-time contributions will be lead-alkali and borosilicate glasses.

Lead-alkali (flint) glass was supposedly "invented" in 1676 by George Ravenscroft (1632-1681), a glass merchant. The "new" glass, besides being more sparkling (because of its higher refractive index than soda lime glass), was also softer and therefore easier to cut. Within twenty years, over one hundred English glass houses were producing lead glass.

Lead-alkali glasses are used in our time line for prisms and lenses, for the more demanding electrical insulation applications, and in higher-end tableware. They contain silica, lead oxide, and at least one alkali (sodium or potassium) oxide.
Collier's
offers two recipes for lead-alkali glass; the simpler one, for optical use, being 44.6% silica, 0.5% sodium oxide, 8% potassium oxide, and 46.9% lead oxide. The one for electrical use has only 21% lead oxide. In the
Encyclopedia Britannica
formulation, the lead oxide content is 25%.

Ravenscroft actually rediscovered an ancient invention; there are both Roman and Islamic glasses which are as much as 35% lead oxide (Lambert, 118). Given this history, and the availability of suitable lead ores, I am not expecting that the USE will have great difficulty in duplicating lead-alkali glass. And this, in turn, will give it the ability to produce attractive cut crystal (earning some coin on the export markets) and, more importantly, high quality optical equipment.