John R. Watson

Personal Information

• Residence in Williamsburg, Virginia
• email: j.watson [at] jrw1.com

Education

• Public school education in Endicott and Vestal, NY, and Dallas, Texas.
• B. Mus. from Houghton College, Houghton, N.Y. (1974)
• Science for Conservators, AIP Distance Learning Program (1998)
• Historical Musical Instrument Making Traditions and Technologies: independent study since 1972 resulting in the making of 34 reproduction keyboard instruments, lectures, articles, and books (details below).
• Conservation ethics and documentation methods: independent study 1989-present, resulting in two books and numerous articles and public lectures.
• Information technology for conservation and organology: independent study 1990-present, resulting in programming of computer systems for conservation project tracking, conservation surveys, and treatment documentation. 

Employment

• 2016—present: conservator in private practice – conservation of keyboard musical instruments for museums, musicians and private collectors.
• 1988–2016: Conservator of Instruments and Mechanical Arts at the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, Williamsburg, Va.
• June, 2008–2016: Associate Curator of Musical Instruments Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, Williamsburg, Va.
• 1977–1995: conservator in private practice – conservation of keyboard musical instruments for museums, musicians and private collectors.
• 1972–1988: Church musician in three churches, directing overall program, and choral conducting
• 1974-1995: Self employed, making reproductions of early keyboard instruments (4 clavichords, 7 single manual harpsichords, 7 double manual harpsichords, 11 spinets, 1 regal organ, 1 fortepiano.) (photo gallery)

Professional Memberships

• American Musical Instrument Society  (Board of Governors)
• Musical Instrument Research Catalog   (MIRCat -- Vice President)
• Westfield Center for Historical Keyboard Studies
• Early Music America
• Society of American Archivists
• American Alliance of Museums
• International Council of Museums  and  CIMCIM

Awards

• 2024 Anthony Baines Memorial Prize, in recognition of an outstanding contribution to the study of musical instruments. by the Galpin Society.
• 2024 Frances Densmore Prize awarded annually by the American Musical Instrument Society for the most distinguished article-length publication written in English. In 2022 volume of JAMIS.
• 2020 Curt Sachs Award, the highest honor given by the American Musical Instrument Society for lifetime contributions to the goals of the society.
• 2016 Conservation Advocacy Award "in recognition of his substantial efforts in public outreach and advocacy" by the American Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works (AIC).
• Grant from the American Musical Instrument Society for online publication of the Clinkscale Database of Early Pianos. 2010 & 2015
• Professional Associate, American Institute for Conservation
• Samuel H. Kress Conservation Publications Fellowship 1999 resulting in the publication of Artifacts in Use: The Paradox of Restoration and the Conservation of Organs (see below)

Other Professional Activities

• General Editor, Boalch-Mould Online, a research database of historic harpsichords and clavichords
• Curator of exhibition "Changing Keys: Keyboard Instruments for America 1700–1830" at the DeWitt Wallace Decorative Arts Museum. See Exhibition photos .
• Member of the United States Senate Curatorial Advisory Board (2011– 2014)
• Consultant to the Göteborg Organ Art Center, University of Gothenburg (Sweden).
• Publisher of Clinkscale Online, an international research database of Early Pianos, 1720-1860,  edited by Thomas Winter.
• Co-chair Organ Historical Society - Restoration and Conservation Guidelines Revision committee.

Publications

• "The venerable 'Boalch' - ready for its next 70 years"  Harpsichord & Fortepiano  v. 28 no. 1 Autumn 2023
• "A small upright piano from Pennsylvania: Relic from the origins of the piano and made by John Clemm?" Journal of the American Musical Instrument Society v. 48 2022
• "Achieving Restoration and Conservation for Historic Keyboard Instruments. No Compromise Required" Keyboard Perspectives v. 13 2021 (forthcoming)
• "A 1793 Longman & Broderip Harpsichord and its Replication: New Light on the Harpsichord-Piano Transition" The Galpin Society Journal, v. 73 (2020) p. 153-172
• "Changing Keys Exhibit Celebrates the Piano Revolution in Revolutionary Times" Piano Technicians Journal
•  A Square Piano Claviorgan for Colonial Williamsburg with Thomas Strange, Historical Keyboard Society of North America Newsletter vol. 3, No. 2 (Fall 2014) p. 10-11
• Addition, Subtraction, Deception and History: The Restorative Conservation of Historic Pianos  Piano Technicians Journal vol. 57 No. 12 (Dec. 2014), 16-23
•  "Proposed Principles of Piano Conservation"  published by the Piano Technician's Guild Foundation on their website and includedwith the PTG Journal article above
• "The 1799 Organized Upright Grand Piano in Williamsburg: A Preliminary Report"  Journal of the American Musical Instrument Society  vol. 40 (2014) 9-28, 119-222
•  Changing Keys: Keyboard Musical Instruments for America 1700-1830  (book) Scarecrow Press in association with The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, 2013
  •  Review by Darcy Kuronen in Early Keyboard Journal (PDF)
  •  Review by Edward Kottick in American Musical Instrument Society (PDF)
•  "Conservation"  (article with Robert Barclay) in Grove Dictionary of Musical Instruments Second Edition (2014)
• "Conservation Outreach and Issues of Cultural Authority: Making Inroads into a Special Interest Community" in The Public Face of Conservation edited by Emily Williams. Archetype Publications, London (2013) 33-36.
•  Artifacts in Use: The Paradox of Restoration and the Conservation of Organs  (book) published by the Organ Historical Society in association with The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation. 2010
  
  • Review by Joel Speerstra in Early Keyboard Journal (PDF)
  • Review by Robert L. Barclay in Journal of the American Musical Instrument Society (PDF)
  • Review by Dominic Gwynn in the Galpin Society Journal (PDF)
  • Review by Tilman Skowroneck in Keyboard Perspectives, Yearbook of the Westfield Center for Historical Keyboard Studies (PDF)
  • Review by Edward C. Pepe in the American Organist (PDF)
• "New OHS Guidelines for Conservation" in The Tacker: Journal of the Organ Historical Society vol. 53 No. 4, Fall 2009
• "The Restorative Conservation of Organs: A Conceptual Roadmap" in The Organ Yearbook  Vol. 37 (2008)
• "The Elements of Conservation: A Conceptual Model" in proceedings from the conference "The Conservation of Archaeological Materials: Current Trends and Future Directions" Nov. 13–17, 2005
• "Instrument and Document: Balancing Values in the Conservation of Musical Instruments"  in Postprints of the Wooden Artifacts Group (2006)
• Organ Restoration Reconsidered: Proceedings of a Colloquium (book) edited by J.R. Watson. Harmonie Park Press, 2005
• “Conservation of a Jeffersonian Vision: Jefferson’s 1786 Model of the Capitol of Virginia” in Interpreter. The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation. Summer 2002 pp. 1–5
• “Conservation of Six Historic Organs at Colonial Williamsburg” in The Tracker  (Journal of the Organ Historical Society) Vol. 46, Number 3, July 2002 pp. 22–34
• “Instrument Restoration and the Scholarship Imperative” in Early Keyboard Journal, vol. 19 (2001) pp. 7–31
• “Performance Standards meet Museum Standards: The Conservation of Organs” in Towards the Conservation and Restoration of Historic Organs: A Record of the 1999 Liverpool Conference, ed. Jim Berrow, Church House Publishing, 2000
• Costume Close-up: Pattern and Construction of Antique Clothing. 1750-1790 (book) with Linda R. Baumgarten. CWF and Quite Specific Press, New York, 1998 [graphic design and CAD drawings; L. Baumgarten is retired curator of costume at CWF, and my wife]
• Makers of the Piano, 1820-1860 by Martha Clinkscale, illustrated by John Watson, Oxford University Press, 1998
• “Theory and Practice in the Conservation of Musical Instruments,” with David B. Blanchfield, Journal of the Violin Society of America , 1998
• “An 18^th-Century Harpsichord Workshop contributes Two New Technologies,” in Eighteenth-Century Woodworking Tools edited by James M. Gaynor, Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, 1997
• "Recommendations for the Conservation of Musical Instruments: an Annotated Bibliography" (CIMCIM - Comité International des Musées et Collections d'Instruments de Musique) co-written with five other international writers. 1993
• “Historical Musical Instruments: A Claim To Use, An Obligation To Preserve,” Journal of the American Musical Instrument Society, Vol XVII (1991), 69
• “Balancing Physical Integrity with Aesthetic Integrity: Ethical Problems in the Conservation of Musical Instruments.” Abstracts. American Institute for Conservation, 1990. 18
• “Claviers for Salem: Historic Keyboard Instruments in the Salem Moravian Community,” Moravian Music Journal, Vol. XXXI No. 1 (Spring 1986), 9
• “A Catalog of Antique Keyboard Instruments in the Southeast,” published serially in Early Keyboard Journal, II (1983–84), 64; III (1984–85), 60; V (1986–87), 53; IX (1991), 71; XV (1997), 93
• “Three Examples of Keyboard Restoration,” Early Keyboard Journal, I (1982–83), 16
• Fine Woodworking Biennial Design Book (Taunton Press, 1977 p.157) and Fine Woodworking Biennial Design Book Two (Taunton Press, 1979 p.39)

Reviews

• Michael Latcham. Towards a New History of the Piano. München-Salzburg: Musikverlag Bernd Katzbichler. Journal of the American Musical Instrument Society, Vol. 46, 2020
• Stuart Pollens. The Manual of Musical Instrument Conservation. Cambridge: University Printing House, 2015. Journal of the American Musical Instrument Society, Vol. 42, 2016
• Alec Cobbe and Christopher Nobbs. Three Hundred Years of Composers’ Instruments: The Cobbe Collection. Woodbridge, Suffolk, UK: Boydell Press, 2014 in Newsletter of the American Musical Instrument Society, Vol. 44 No. 2 (Fall 2015)
• Darryl Martin. The Art of Making a Harpsichord. London, Robert Hale, 2010. Review forthcoming in Early Keyboard Journal
• Edward L. Kottick. A History of the Harpsichord.Bloomington,IN. Indiana University Press, 2003. Reviewed in Journal of the American Musical Instrument Society Vol. 32, 2006
• John Koster. Keyboard Musical Instruments in the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. Boston: Museum of Fine Arts, 1994. Reviewed in Early Keyboard Journal, Vol. 14, 1996

Selected Lectures

(in reverse date order)

• "Four Realms of the Musical Past" keynote address for the annual meeting of the Historical Keyboard Society of North America in Williamsburg, VA. 2024-06-26.
• "Vignettes from the Beginnings of American Keyboard Culture" a keynote address for "Between Old Worlds and New: Keyboard Encounters, c. 1700-1900" for a conference of the Westfield Center for Historical Keyboard Studies 2023-03-11.
• "Biography of an Organized Piano: A Series of Unlikely Events" for the 75th annual Antiques Forum, Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, 2023-02-28
• "An Ancient American Piano with Clues About Piano Origins" for the annual meeting of the American Musical Instrument Society, Calgary, Canada 2022-06 and as lecture-demonstration with keyboardist Thomas Dressler for the Moravian Historical Society, Nazareth, PA, 2022-10-02
• "A Moravian Piano Gains a Voice" for the Bethlehem Conference on Moravian History and Music (online), 2021-04-21
• "Reproducing the Mount Vernon Harpsichord: Did We Solve the Paradox?" for the conference, The Keyboard in Washington's America, Celebrating Mount Vernon's Harpsichord and its Reproduction, Mount Vernon, 2019-08-03
• "Zombie Apocalypse or Miracle of Rebirth: The Case for (Restorative) Conservation" 40th Westfield Center conference, Oberlin OH, 2019-10-23
• "The Historic Organ at St. Luke's and its continuing influence on Organ Conservation" Smithfield, VA, 2019-09-21
• "George Washington’s 1793 harpsichord: Silent Witness for a New Reproduction" AMIS Annual Meeting, Carolina Music Museum, Greenville, SC, 2019-05-15
• "A Virginia Musical Landmark: The BCHS Hitchcock Spinet" Keynote Presentation, Botetourt County Historical Society, 2018-11-09
• "Keyboards of Many Voices: Reanimating two British-American Monuments" Annual meeting, Historical Keyboard Society of North America, Greenville, NC, 2017-04-26
• "The Case for Restorative Conservation" Winterthur/University of Delaware Program in Art Conservation, Student's Choice Lecture, 2017-02-08
• "Principles of Piano Conservation" Piano Technician's Guild, National Meeting, Norfolk, VA, 2016-07-20
• "Furniture that Sings: Keyboard Musical Instruments for America" Antiques Forum, Williamsburg, 2013-02
• Conservation Outreach and Issues of Cultural Authority: Making Inroads into a Special Interest Community" for the symposium "Playing to the Galleries and Engaging New Audiences: The Public Face of Conservation." Williamsburg, 2011-11-14
• "Saving Time for the Future: Conservation and the Paradox of Restoration." Association of Watch and Clock Collectors National Syumposium, Keynote address, Williamsburg, 2010-10-28
• "That the Future May Learn from the Past: How Colonial Williamsburg Manages Information in Historic Artifacts." Association for Configuration and Data Management (ACDM) Annual Meeting, Williamsburg, 2010-3-22
• "A Philadelphia Survivor: America's Only Harpsichord." (on the 1794 Trute & Wiedberg harpsichord) Southeastern and Midwestern Historical Keyboard Societies, Temple University, Philadelphia, 2009-3-13
• "Copying Period Instruments as a Research Tool" the Eastman Rochester Organ Initiative (EROI), University of Rochester, Rochester, New York, 2008-10-19
• "Fossils, Oddballs, and Miraculous Survivors: Year 25 of the SEHKS Inventory of Historic Keyboard Instruments." Southeastern Historical Keyboard Society at the Museum of Early Southern Decorative Arts. 2008-3
• "The Restorative Conservation of Organs: A Conceptual Roadmap" (Abstract) Keynote address for New Dimensions In Organ Conservation and Documentation: An International Symposium Co-Sponsored by the American Organ Archives of the Organ Historical Society and the Eastman Rochester Organ Initiative, University Of Rochester, Rochester, New York, 2007-10-11
• "Instrument and Document: Balancing Values in the Conservation of Musical Instruments." American Institute for Conservation, Wooden Artifacts Group Providence, RI, 2006-6-17
• "The Elements of Conservation: A Conceptual Model." 2005-11, Archaeology Symposium, Colonial Williamsburg Foundation
• "Overcoming Obstacles to Documentation" American Institute for Conservation, General Session, Minneapolis, MN. 2005-6
• "A Conceptual Model and Practical Solution for Conservation Documentation" American Institute for Conservation, Objects Specialty Group, Minneapolis, MN. 2005-6
• "CDS-Documentation: Creating a Database for Documentation for colloquium "Computerizing Object Condition Surveys, Ottawa Canada 2004-2
• "The paradox of restoration: restoring the form, preserving the substance" International Scientific Instruments Symposium, Newport News, VA. 2003-10-3
• "The Influence of Conservators’ Values in the Lifecycle of Cultural Property." American Institute for Conservation, General Session, Arlington, VA. 2003-6-6
• "Musical Instruments in a Decorative Arts Collection: Can you Carry a Tune in a Tureen?" Antiques Forum, Colonial Williamsburg, 2003
• "Pulling all the Stops: Conservation of the Wren Chapel Organ." Williamsburg, Music Institute. 2002-3-19
• "Jefferson & The Capitol of Virginia, Conservation of a Jeffersonian Vision." Richmond. VA, Library of Virginia. 2002-5-8
• "The Conservation of Working Objects", Williamsburg, Conservation Symposium. 2001-11-8
• "The Keyboard Milieu of Thomas Jefferson," 3-17-2001, Charlottesville, VA, Southeastern Historical Keyboard Society
• "The Paradox of Restoration: A Question of Form and Substance" 2001-01-06, Asheville, NC, American Musical Instrument Society
• "Pianos as Primary Documents: Implications for Conservation, Restoration, and Copies" 2000-5-8. Vermillion, SD, USD Symposium: The Pre-Classical Piano
• "Performance Standards meet Museum Standards: The Conservation of Pipe Organs" 1999-8-25, Liverpool, UK, British Institute of Organ Studies
• "A Philosophy of Conservation and Restoration" 1997-10-6, Williamsburg VA, American Institute of Organbuilders
• "Technology in the Kirkman Workshop: The State of the Art" 1997-8-22 Edinburgh, Scotland, The Galpin Society
• "Old Technologies Meet New: Current Work at Colonial Williamsburg" 1997-5-12 Washington, DC, Comité International des Musées et Collections d’Instruments de Musique (CIMCIM)
• "The Copy as a Research Tool: Reproducing a 1762 Kirckman Harpsichord" 1996-5-17 Vermillion, SD, American Musical Instrument Society
• "Recent Trends in Conservation and Restoration" 1996-3-1, Tallahassee, FL. Southeastern Society for Eighteenth-Century Studies
• "Musical Instruments in Colonial America" 1996-1-29 Charleston Museum, Winter Training Institute
• "Antique Pianos: A Conservator’s View" 1995-11-4 Durham. NC, Piano Technicians Guild Regional Convention
• "The Palace Harpsichord: A Royal Restoration" 1994-10-5 Williamsburg, VA. General Audience
• "Early Mechanization in the Production of Keyboard Musical Instruments" 1994-5-21, Williamsburg, VA, Tool Symposium
• "The SEHKS Catalog of Early Keyboards - Highlights from the First Dozen Years" 1994-1-28 Charleston Museum, Southeast Historical Keyboard Society
• "The Other Voice of Musical Instruments: Reading the 1766 Zumpe Piano" 1993-10-6 Williamsburg, VA. General Audience
• "Johannes Zumpe and the Origins of the English Piano" 1993-4-17. Louisville, KY, Southeastern Historical Keyboard Society
• "Musical Instruments in Colonial America" 1993-3-9. San Francisco, The Antiques Forum of Northern California
• "Overhearing History: The Conservator as Technological Historian" 1992-6‑7 Buffalo, NY, American Institute for Conservation, Wooden Artifacts Group
• "A 1758 Encyclopedia of Harpsichord Making: Reading the Tool Marks" 1991-11-4 Clayton State College, Atlanta, GA - Symposium
• "Reconstructing Historical Musical Instrument-Making Technologies: The Artifact as Window. 1991-3-9. Bethlehem, PA, American Musical Instrument Society
• "To Play or Not to Play: Antique Musical Instruments in Museum Collections" 1990-9-8. Washington, D.C. AASLH
• "Balancing Physical Integrity with Esthetic Integrity: Problems in the Conservation of Musical Instruments" 1990-6-2. Richmond, VA, American Institute for Conservation, General Session
• "Conserving our Primary Sources" 1990-5-17. Williamsburg, VA
• "Antique Musical Instruments: Preserve, Play, or Both 1990-3-9 August, GA, Southeastern Historical Keyboard Society
• "Musical Instruments: A Unique Challenge in Conservation" 1989-6-29 Richmond, Virginia Museum, Virginia Conservation Association