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 […]
#12: A Grand Piano was not always Grand! Read More »
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
#6: There’s a Lion in my Piano! Read More »
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
#4: A Viennese Piano in the Black Forest Read More »
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
#2: Who was the piano builder Daniel Dörr? Read More »