Music to my ears

There are things I’ve never considered making, but maybe I should. A music stand is one of them.

I don’t play music, nor do I have any close friends or relatives that do, so it’s not surprising I’ve never been asked to made a music stand. I got to thinking about this after reading Jennifer Hicks’ online article on the Wharton Esherick Museum, which recently concluded a special exhibit on Esherick’s music stand.

Made in 1960 for cellist Rose Rubinson, it’s a beautiful piece, as you can see in the photos from the museum website below. As it happens, Sally and I visited the museum during the exhibit and got to see the stand – and a lot of his other work – for ourselves. Outstanding stuff.

Esherick wasn’t known as a music-stand maker, but this piece was influential to his career in two ways. First, everyone liked it, and he ended up making more to accommodate the requests of other musicians. The second was that the clean, flowing lines of the design itself were a turning point in his career. He had never quite done that before and he incorporated similar stylings into much of his future work. And that brings me full circle to the point I want to make.

Unless asked to build something we wouldn’t otherwise make, it leaves a path not taken. That’s usually not a big deal, especially for woodworkers with plenty to do. But sometimes when we make something for the first time we surprise ourselves. A detail, a technique, a particular line or something else we never thought of doing before appears naturally while making it. “Why did I never try this before?” is a pleasant question to ask oneself, especially when we can refine and develop it in future work.

And, in realizing that, I’m thinking that maybe I should make a music stand.

By the way, if you’re ever near Philadelphia, consider visiting the museum where you’ll see a lot more than just music stands. Tours are very small and fill quickly, however, so make reservations through the museum website.