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The conservation and restoration of musical instruments is an action done by conservator-restorers trained to preserve or protect historical and current musical instruments. Musical instrument conservation, at least by the date of the earliest reference acquired, originates from 1862 when “a letter was written by Antonio Stradivari, who not only repaired his own instruments but also those of other makers, for (Count Cesare Castelbarco ) about how to conserve his many Stradivari instruments.” Conservation practices of musical instruments follow the same guidelines as the numerous other artifacts in museum collections. During conservation, it is important to document the pre-conservation state and then the progress after those conservation actions have been completed. In order to protect musical instruments for the future, it is best to keep the collection in the most climate-controlled area. It is important to realize that even though many instruments have to be rebuilt after a certain period of time has passed, it is acceptable to play them if they are supervised by a musical instrument conservator. Musical instrument conservation is unique because the artifacts are played and they produce sound. These instruments were historically made over the centuries to entertain all kinds of people, from royalty to the average person. ==Background== There are many similarities between musical instrument conservation and art work protection. Like a conservator working to restore the color saturation of the water lilies in a Claude Monet painting, conservators must keep in mind the instrument maker’s integrity when cleaning or restoring any type of musical instrument (for example, luthiers create guitars and violins for guitarists or violinists), as well as the standardized policies or ethics of art conservation. According to the Code of Ethics, “II. All actions of the conservation professional must be governed by an informed respect for the cultural property, its unique character and significance, and the people or person who created it.〔(【引用サイトリンク】url=http://www.conservation-us.org/about-us/core=documents/code-of-ehtics-and-guidelines-for-practice/code-of-ethics-and-guidelines-for-practice#.VTvINSFViko )〕” Both art conservation and musical instrument conservation require a lot of attention to detail, patience, and respect for the item or artist(s). The conservator should also be highly trained in the medium in which these items were created. For example, wood preservation or acrylic on canvas. In general, art works are static and not moving whereas musical instruments are basically an active art tool for producing the sounds notated on sheet music in various keys or tempos. Although some art objects may have more than one use and move periodically from its home institution to another museum on loan (besides providing cultural satisfaction), instruments are subject to: travel or wear and tear consistently due to continual playing. Musical instruments create art by producing sound because the human hand touches their skins, strings, bows, fret board or keys. Musical instruments are generally used on a regular basis, during recitals and concerts by all levels of musicians. An instrumentalist needs to keep in mind how to play their instrument carefully so that they can preserve the integrity of the instrument. That being stated, each musician performs with an instrument differently, creating their own personality and take on the capabilities of that particular instrument (ex. Louis Armstrong and his trumpet). In a sense, the partnership between instrumentalist and instrument defines them both. “Players demand certain kinds of physical responses from an instrument, and players and listeners alike have certain preferences about the tone produced.” Despite how long musical instruments should last, it is important to try and maintain their playable conditions as long as possible. Similarly to automobiles that have been used on a daily basis over the years, musical instruments do not sound the same or work in the same manner that they once did when they were new. Parts wear out and at times just need to be replaced. On a side note, the average lifespan of instruments depends on the classification of them: “woodwinds or brass instruments last about twenty years, while pianos last about 100 years, and string instruments for a maximum of 200 years." With proper conservation techniques used on instruments, they will be able to last longer than their projected lifespans. Some music composed during the 18th century by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was for the harpsichord, and if this music is to be historically understood it must be heard on an instrument of the original time period. The Smithsonian has maintained a harpsichord that some of the resident curators can periodically play. This can be seen via the short YouTube video entitled, (“Play it Again.” ) Although these Mozart compositions could be played on a piano, they would not sound the same as a harpsichord when a musician performs the piece. Environmental obligations exist for both musical instrument creators and conservators. This is because the materials used in instrument creation, like wood, can be on the endangered species list. “Many species of rosewood and ebony are endangered, but the wood is still easily purchased.’ ‘Some timbers and materials used by luthiers has legal restrictions, especially when crossing international boundaries.” There appears to be a mission to conserve both art or cultural artifacts and environmental conservation in the realm of musical instrument conservation. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Conservation and restoration of musical instruments」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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