Welcome to GeoffreyDancer.com
The Geoffrey Dancer Memorial Fund
The fund has been set up by Geoff's family with Emanuel School, Wandsworth in memory of his musical life. Geoff taught at the school for many years and we hope to raise funds through charitable donations on an annual basis and award the Geoffrey Dancer Prize to a young talented pianist each year.
The first Geoffrey Dancer Music Prize will be awarded to a very talented young female pianist at Emanuel School who is currently in year 11. She has already won the overall prize in the school's instrumental competition and achieved Grade 8 piano, Grade 4 organ, Grade 7 violin and singing grade 8. A worthy recipient of the award for 2009-2010.
With current funds we will be able to send the winner on a music summer school at Dartington Hall and afford similar prizes for many years to come.
Sincere thanks to everyone who has made a donation to the fund so far."
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If you wish to make a donation you may do so in two ways:
On Line: Go to www.emanuel.org.uk, follow the links to 'Support Us' and on the 'Donate Now' form select 'Geoffrey Dancer Prize' in the pop up menu in 'Additional Details'. Debit and Credit payment are accepted. Gift Aid is automatically claimed if you declare you are a taxpayer.
By Cheque: Please make your cheque payable to Emanuel School and send to Sarah Fisher at Emanuel School, Battersea Rise, London SW11 1HS.
Gift Aid: If you are a tax payer the school can reclaim tax on your gift, therefore in your covering letter, please write that you wish your gift to be donated to the Geoffrey Dancer Prize. Use the words: 'I declare that I am a UK taxpayer and I wish the school to treat, as Gift Aid, all my contributions to the Emanuel School Fund held by United Westminster Schools Charitable Foundation, charity No. 309267.'
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Following Geoff's death in December 2008, his business interests, and work in progress, have been passed to:
Derek Love
Piano Workshop
46b Albert Road North
Reigate
Surrey RH2 9EL
Tel 01737 242174
Website www.pianoworkshop.co.uk
Email info@pianoworkshop.co.uk
Please contact Derek with any enquiries you might have.
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This webpage is a repository of photos, videos, music and reminiscences of Geoff. The copy from Geoff's business website is here, which explains his approach to pianos and their restoration.
If you would like something posted on this page, do please send it to us by email.
30th January 2009
Old and New
Piano design has not really changed since 1880 so a brand new Yamaha grand has structurally everything in common with its 19th century equivalent.
Age does have a detrimental effect on pianos in several ways: strings oxidise and stiffen, losing their ability to sustain; hammer felt hardens if left unserviced over the years, or becomes soft and compacted - unable to operate in a springy fashion against the string (new or old!). These factors will produce a marked deterioration in sound quality.
However, the most important part of any piano is the soundboard, which in most cases remains the same, and even if splits have occurred, may still retain an advantage over the modern soundboard in its sensitivity of reaction owing to its having originally been seasoned more slowly.
Usually in a ‘worn out’ piano one is hearing dead strings and hammers perfectly amplified. In restoration, these three components are assessed and decisions made accordingly.
Provided that central heating has not caused the soundboard to change position vis-a-vis the overall string pressure, the old soundboard is in many ways (tonally, in a way of interest to a musician) superior to the new one and its condition is the first thing to be checked out. There are as many ‘sound personalities’ as there are instruments, and the soundboard is the component at the heart of the piano, and which imparts the individual voice (differing even within the same generic make).
Working on the hammer felts and how they are ‘flung’ to the strings is a further factor in the realisation of the potential of the soundboards contribution. The quality of the hammer felt has a direct relationship with the range of sound offered to the pianist, new sets of hammers fresh from the factory often needing an enormous amount of easing with needles to even begin to ascertain what kind of range is being offered by the soundboard.
Often new pianos have not had sufficient time for this ‘quality control’ to have taken place adequately, and hence their potential as instruments often remains unrealised. This over recent years has resulted in the tendency for the sound of the modern piano to be overly bright and ‘edgy’ with a consequent loss in expressive range. Given that the modern soundboard has a tendency to be stiffer in reaction to the string vibration, the hammer toners job here is paramount.
