Loads of thick books on the history of the piano have been written. Here is a short version! Cristofori and the world’s first pianos Around 1720, the Italian Bartolomeo Cristofori (1655–1731) invented the ’gravicembalo col piano e forte’ – harpsichord with soft and loud. By replacing the plectra of the harpsichord with small hammers (thus …
As a salute the fabulous instrument makers of the 17th and 18th centuries, I would like to make a series of keyboard portraits whenever I can. The selection will simply depend on where I am and which instruments I get a chance to record. Here is the first one – a true gem from the …
The time has come to inspect the part which is really crucial to the sound and feel of the piano: The action, or mechanic, of the keyboard. How did it look like in 1830? And why are some hammers lazier than others? An onstage almost-catastrophe First, I want to tell you a true story. As …
While a modern grand most often wears a shiny, black coat, my Dörr fortepiano has a flowing mane. Dormant behind the ancient walnut trees, a golden lion stares at me! Do you see it? The veneer of early 19th-century pianos The veneer is one of a piano’s most striking visual elements. An excellent choice of …
I just love trees! And I love residents of trees (especially squirrels) and products of trees (especially pianos). Accidentally, this week’s blog post will be about all these things. This week, I finally visited the wood workshop where my new, old piano is currently being restored. You may scroll down to get to the piano …
Imagine that you are 8 and a half years old. Mozart comes by, you play the piano for him, and he says that you are talented! You have already appeared as a soloist with the local symphony, and your favourite thing is to hang out with your father in his instrument workshop. His job is …
#3: Nannette Streicher and the Viennese Fortepiano Les mer »
When purchasing an old piano, one obviously wants to know as much as possible about its original piano maker. Some early fortepiano builders are still very famous today, at least among those who are interested in piano development! Two examples would be Anton Walter, who built the last fortepiano Mozart owned, and Sebastian Erard, who …
Do you see the beautiful piano case in the picture above? It is my new piano, built in Vienna around 1830, by a man called Daniel Dörr. Stunning, isn’t it? In this first blog post, I will attempt to explain why I have purchased a piano which does not work and which is almost 200 …