For some time, I’ve wanted to learn to use a sextant. I’m not a real sailor; I don’t have any real practical application for it, but I’m often intrigued by the old ways of doing things. I prefer to play old guitars through tube amplifiers, I share my a bit of dad’s interests in vintage cars and film cameras, and I am drawn to all matter of anachronistic hardware.

Similarly I am fascinated by thought of how sheet music was made before Finale. Well, I know I how I made it – with a pencil or pen, and sometimes with scissors and tape or glue. But I’m thinking of how music was engraved. If you’ve never seen Anneliese Bente’s 1997 “Sharp as a Tack” video, about how G. Henle used to create their Urtext editions, check it out at:

http://www.henle.de/katalog/stichmaterial.cfm

You may notice on the same page that G. Henle also offers their old engraving plates for sale through their dealers. This fact was actually the impetus for today’s blog – one of my coworkers brought one of these plates to work:

Holding this plate in my hands I marvel at the craftsmanship involved in using Iron Age tools to create such a work of art. If mastering the chisel wasn’t enough, keep in mind you had to do it all in reverse. It’s a bit humbling.

I’m reminded of my own pre-computer struggles with a typewriter in an effort to produce even a few perfect pages of text; not a particularly fond nor nostalgic memory. While I may have admiration for some aspects of the past, I’m not interested in giving up my computer for a typewriter and some chisels. (Have I mentioned my dependence on spell-checking software?)

But the plate, like the resulting engraving, is beautiful. Are you interested in owning one? More details are available at: http://www.jwpepper.com/10061175.item

Am I buying one? Well, no. I’m saving up for a sextant. And a vintage tube strobe tuner.