Tsimbl Maker in Florida

[Peter Rushefsky <RUSHEFSKY_P...>]

For those of you looking to purchase a tsimbl (cimbalom, Jewish hammer
dulcimer):

There is a terrific maker in Florida who I've just purchased an instrument from.
 His name is Jozef Jankowski.  Jozef is in his 70's (I think), has retired to
Florida after spending years as a furniture maker in Buffalo.  He came to the US
from Baranovichi (now Belarus, though he considers himself Polish, is not
Jewish).  Before being imprisoned by the Nazis (I haven't gotten the whole story
yet) in his late teens, Jozef was a cymbalo (tsimbl) player-- claims to have
frequently performed on the radio.  Played in a band with a Jewish violin
player, though sounds like they mainly did gentile affairs-- again, I need to
get more of this story.  

Jozef also was an apprentice in his father's cymbalo-building shop.  Anyways, he
has started making instruments again.  The instruments I've seen were made from
spruce (soundboard) and maple (sidings) or cypress (soundboard) and mahogany
(sidings).  For their size, they are heavy (especially the maple instruments)--
very portable, but you ain't gonna wear it with a strap.  My instrument is
cypress/mahogany-- was a little darker sounding, less bright than the
spruce/maple instrument.  The sound hole details are kind of a
six-petaled-sunflower sort of design with additional f-holes above and below. 
The tuning is chromatic, but sort of awkward with lots of repeated notes.  There
are five strings per course (when you hit one note, you're actually hitting five
strings placed closely together).  Jozef says this was the standard tuning in
Baranovichi for instruments from his father's shop:

                   f#
    f#  I  b
                    f
     f   I  a#
                    e
     e  I  a  
                    d#
    d# I  g#
                    d
     d   I  g
                    c#
     c#  |  f#
                     c
      c   |  f
                    b
      b   |  e
                     a#
     a#  |  d#
                     a
      a   |  d
                    g#
      g# | c#
                    g    
       g  |  c

The instrument I commissioned is a bit smaller and is tuned like this:

     e  I  a  
                    d#
    d# I  g#
                    d
     d   I  g
                    c#
     c#  |  f#
                     c
      c   |  f
                    b
      b   |  e
                     a#
     a#  |  d#
                     a
      a   |  d
                    g#
      g# | c#
                    g    
       g  |  c
                     f#

I received it yesterday & it is absolutely beautiful (in sound as well as
looks)!!!  He also made me a couple pairs of Belarussian-style hammers, one pair
a bit longer than the standard (to wean me from longer Hungarian sticks that I
normally play with).

Anyways,  he's looking for buyers & I told him I'd refer people to him.  He's
also looking for someone to teach the art of tsimbl-building to (Owen, Aaron--
any takers)?  Jozef spends one month each summer in Buffalo visiting family.

Here's his contact information (feel free to pass it on).  I'd be happy to
provide any more information off-list to anyone interested (I'm just helping him
out, not economically involved):
  
Jozef Jankowski
P.O. Box 9032
Port St. Luce., Florida 34985
561-336-9186

Jozef's English is fairly good, though you might end up speaking to his wife
over the phone.  

Pete Rushefsky
rushefsky_p (at) univerahealthcare(dot)org
716-857-4481 w
716-883-5938 h

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