Brocktorff Project - Music Printing

To continue on the same subject of PAPER: Japanese paper is very sought after for its unique qualities. It comes in various thicknesses of which a very fine, thin variety is used in conservation - for mending paper tears, broken corners and edges, and pages that have come apart. When it has an extremely fine grain it is almost transparent, totally unobtrusive but durable and ideal for the conservation of documents, paintings or prints on paper, and also for sheet music. This is not ordinary paper, and the time and patience required to produce it, of course, make it an expensive commodity.   This link shows you how this kind of Japanese paper is made. ‪ #‎minowashi‬ – Explore | Facebook Dr Theresa Zammit Lupi used similar very fine paper in the Brocktorff Project for the conservation of the sheet music in my collection. More on this still to come. 

Paper was produced in many centres around Europe, in areas where there was plentiful water which was necessary for the procedure of its production. Paper mills were usually built alongside rivers or other available water outlets.  I am providing a link to a very interesting article on some well-known centres of paper production in Italy, showing the way paper is made. (Thanks to Pixartprinting, 2017) : 5 paper museums to visit in Italy this summer | Pixartprinting Paper did not reach Malta only from Italy. In the first half of the 19th century, Malta was importing paper from different sources. We find printers obtaining their supply of paper from Marseilles, Genova and also from Trieste. More on this in the forthcoming publication. Printers were importing paper for their own different requirements - for printing daily newspapers, for the printing of books, or for writing documents, for drawing and painting, and also for the writing and printing of music. The quality of the paper wo...

  I am absolutely thrilled to announce that the Malta Book Fund has awarded me funding for the publication of my research on the Music Printing by the Brocktorff Lithographers.   Thank you! This is so very encouraging! Hopefully there will be a new publication in hand in 18 months time. I feel one large step closer to achieving my goal in this Project. And we soldier on because there is much more I have envisaged. But we will get there :) Thank you to all those supporting my Project and believing in me. I will say THANK YOU again to: APS Bank Ganado Advocates Mr Robert Von Brockdorff