Ivory keyboards have long gone the way of ivory dice and billiard balls, hats with egret feathers, leopard-skin coats and tortoise-shell anything.
It has been a long time since ecologists and animal lovers had to picket piano warehouses. In the aftermath of an announcement in Tokyo back in the 80's, the piano industry turned the corner. While American piano manufacturers were keen to reassure the public that they stopped using ivory years before. It was back in the 80's that things began to look up for the elephant and the respect of the piano industry. While the elephant is still endangered, the ivory keyboard died out in the 80's is almost extinct.
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The world's two biggest piano manufacturers, Yamaha and Kawai, stopped buying ivory to use in piano keys because of public pressure to protect elephants.
Baldwin Pianos responded quickly at the time to congratulate the Japanese, but also remind the world they had been doing the right thing for a very long time.
"We would like to congratulate the Pacific Rim manufacturers who have decided to stop the use of ivory in pianos made for the American market," said Ken Edgington, vice president, sales for Baldwin Piano & Organ Co. the 128 year-old American firm renowned as an industry leader.The ivory used in piano keys (actually, a thin veneer glued on the top and sides of a wooden key) was replaced by plastic substitutes. The time may come when ecologists campaign for piano keys that are biodegradable, but not yet. Plastic keys are still going strong.
"Baldwin was delighted to learn," Edgington commented, "that these manufacturers have now decided to join our effort, which began over thirty-three years ago, to abolish the use of ivory in the manufacture of pianos.
"Our company wishes to encourage all who are concerned with the recognition of ecological needs and the rights of animals," Edgington added. "We strongly urge all European and domestic piano manufacturers still using ivory to join in this cause which we have been championing for the past thirty years, a cause which we feel the entire industry should support in a unified effort.
"As early as 1956," noted Edgington, "Baldwin was aware of the need to prevent the killing of elephants for their tusks and at that time established a corporate policy not to use ivory on any Baldwin piano. Within the year, our ivory stock was depleted."
Since 1959, all Baldwin pianos have keys covered with an especially formulated synthetic material which is easy to maintain, does not yellow or crack, and most critical of all still produces the proper feel when the performers' fingers touch the keys. The best not of all is that the elephants will be here to remember that companies can be ecologically responsible.
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