Lyon Keyboard Instruments...
is located in Troy, Michigan (US) north of Detroit. Lyon instruments can be found all over the world and have been featured in Carnegie hall in New York, PBS telecast and on several CD recordings.
John D. Lyon
Owner John Lyon built his first harpsichord from a kit at the age of 13 and discovered his life passion.
Since then he has traveled to Europe several times to study and measure museum instruments which he later replicated for customers.
Since returning from Europe, Mr. Lyon has constructed dozens of instruments; each one surpassing the former in detail, workmanship and clarity of sound.
Mr. Lyon also has been involved in restoring and installing pipe organs. He still consults with churches and keeps abreast of current trends. He has recently restored the amazingly compact Rieger Pipe Organ shown elsewhere on this site.
Keyboard maker crafts the sounds of history...
Past and present owners of Lyon instruments have included well known performers - Bernard Brauchli, Maria Rose, Penelope Crawford, George Lucktenberg and Kenneth Drake (the pioneering interpreter of Beethoven's piano music on historical instruments).
Steve Manley owns both a Lyon Harpsichord and Lyon Mozart Fortepiano. This piano was featured twice in Clevelend's Severance Hall, soloing in Mozart concertos. This same Mozart forepiano piano was used on a television special produced for public television featuring Malcolm Bilson.
PRICING
Contact LKI for details about pricing and specific terms of order.
HARPSICHORDS
The Harpsichord was invented in Europe in 1397, several hundred years before the advent of the modern piano.
The harpsichord is different from the piano in that the strings are plucked (like a guitar) rather than struck with a hammer mechanism.
Unlike the modern grand piano, which has a cast iron plate to withstand the heavier string tension, the harpsichord is all wood construction with much lower string tension. For this reason the harpsichord's integrity is dependent upon a the full understanding of the balance between the stresses and tensions created within the instrument. Examples of this integrity can be found in the use of sliding dovetail joints in case construction and hot hide glue throughout assembly.
Outstanding composers for harpsichord were Johann Sebastian Bach, Jean-Phillippe Rameau, Francois Couperin and Domenico Scarlatti, among others.