RESURRECTION CELEBRATION FOR 100-YEAR-OLD PIANO
The old piano’s days in the corner as a quiet afterthought are over. With both her insides and outsides replaced and renewed, the 103-year-old Mason & Hamlin Model A Grand now graces center stage of the Neighborhood Congregational Church’s each Sunday morning during 10:00 worship with a resonance and depth of voice she hasn’t produced in years.
The 60 cracks in her soundboard have been repaired, re-establishing her crown and ensuring sustained sound and enhanced resonance. A pin block, handcrafted from a slab of maple to fit five different dimensions houses 230 new, German tuning pins. Wrapped around those pins are new taut strings designed to withstand 35,000 pounds of pressure.
The Mason & Hamlin Model A Grand will be put through her paces by celebrated composer and musician, Steve Wood, the man who brought the piano out of the darkness. A year ago, while warming up before playing for a memorial service in the sanctuary next door, Wood lifted the lid of the dusty relic to discover “a battered diamond.” The Mason & Hamlin grand piano is considered to be the world’s best, under six feet concert piano, on par with a Steinway. Wood’s discovery was fortuitous as the church had been raising funds to purchase a new piano. But once the true essence of the piano – often used as a stand for vases of flowers – was revealed, efforts were redirected to instead restore the grand dame.
Emil Grakov, born in Bulgaria, guided the piano’s $15,000 renewal. Grakov, who apprenticed in Austria, learned English by reading technical literature on piano restoration. “I learned a lot about American pianos,” said the 44-year-old restorer, who’s been rebuilding pianos for 24 years. Along with the Mason & Hamilin, Grakov and his partner, Harout Sujian, an Armenian from Jordan, is also restoring a 91-year-old, 6.5’ Model A Steinway in their Santa Ana shop. Grakov admitted that while he’s not much of pianist himself, “I do know how to make them new.”
Before her debut on Easter Sunday, the rejuvenated piano was tuned or “voiced,” determining “the color of the sound,” Grakov said. The final tuning was completed by Bob Anderson, who has tuned instruments for music’s elite, including Paul McCartney, Ray Charles and Stevie Wonder.
On Easter Sunday, Steve Wood joined his wife, Beth Fitchet Wood, a well known singer and songwriter at the 10 a.m. Easter Sunday service, to celebrate this new musical beginning for the instrument.. In addition to the quality music, the service included liturgical dancing performed by Carrie Pitt and Lori Osborn. Orchestrating and playing in the Easter musical extravaganza, was Pam Wicks, the church’s musical director. All are welcome to join the Open and Affirming Neighborhood Congregational Church, 340 St. Ann’s Drive, Laguna Beach, every Sunday at 10:00 a.m. for worship and celebration to enjoy the melodious new sounds coming from the newly-restored grand piano!
… Robin Pierson, Author