Engraving

 MUSIC PRINTING 2 - Engraving

Other methods of music printing were attempted in order to improve on the moveable type. Printing from woodblocks was one method long used for music, but most important was printing from engraving on a metal plate.  Engraving as a printing technique was already in use as early as  the 15th century. 

Very biefly, printing by engraving involved incising with a sharp tool on a hard flat surface, inking the incisions, wiping clean the rest of the surface, and using a heavy press to transfer the inked part onto paper to produce a print. When a heavy metal plate was used it usually left a visible indent around the print. 

Some prints by the famous Albrecht Durer (1471-1528) were engraved and printed in this way from copper plates. We are very fortunate to have a number of his beautiful prints in the Mdina Cathedral Museum - among them my favourite, the bagpiper. You must go and have a look at them!

This method of printing by engraving was also adapted to music and remained the only way to print music until the widespread use of lithography in the nineteenth century. 

Engraved music

Engraved music had to be written or incised on to the metal plate in reverse in order to be printed correctly. Imagine writing all the music on these music pages in reverse! This was a very specialised art.  The heavy plate when pressed down for printing left its mark around the music as can be seen in both these sheets of 19th century music. Sometimes the music even tears around that plate mark.

Romance from Giovanni Pacini's Merope, Printed by Gerard et Ci, Naples c.1848

The next post will be dealing with LITHOGRAPHY - Stay tuned!