The MONOCHORD has been used since the fifth century.
It was not a musical instrument yet.
Viennese fortepianos
Clavichord - limited touch dynamics, after touch
He showed an inverted keyboard by Silbermann 1765. The white keys were UP higher and black keys were down. Static down weight of 16grams. 3 mm key dip. Dynamic down weight 18-800grams
It has restricted dynamics
This was Bach's preferred instrument. A lot of the well-tempered clavier was "born" on the Clavichord.
Professor Delorko has several video clips of the period instruments from his collection, with him performing, and he alternates these with modern grand "live."
The SPINET is louder, but no dynamics. Requires a high finger action.
VIRGINAL: strings are parallel to the keyboard. Sounding board is located toward middle of strings.
1570 example of virginal by Floriani... Live video clip.
On the modern grand... Heartbeat tempo, Focus on central registers. Old Italian embellish from the main note! Trills cannot be fast. (Because notes are plucked toward the center of the string) ... compressed dynamics, agogic like a speaker.
Harpsichord - lengthwise stringing, no key dynamics.
Example: linked keyboards change the down weight.
8 foot ... See handout... <insert notes here later>
Need high finger action. No dynamics.
On modern grand: nearly flat terrace dynamics, agogic like a speaker, embellishments respect same rules as Bach-improvise!, heartbeat tempo.
In England, Kirkman produced a harpsichord w a pedal that opens the llamellae. That creates more sound.
On the modern grand: constant non-legato, except in harmonic fields, interval steps are broad, jumps short. Turns are legato on beats. Anapest and Dactylus are short.
Cpe Bach book: true art of playing keyboard instruments.
Separation in steps and jumps... See handout...
Harmonic fields... Can connect ... See handout... <insert later>
'There is nothing written and you can't call these guys. We don't really know how it sounds. We play the wrong instrument.'
Scale phrasing... Bearings are extremely important.
Playing in every key without retuning.., Andreas Werkmeister 1691
Christofori invented the hammer pushing principle
There is an action he designed "can't really work, but it does."
1730... Bach tried Silbermann's instrument and Bach condemns it.
1732... Piano music starts to have "piano" and "forte" indications.
Knee levers...
Video clip of Ratko performing concerto in A Major on the fortepiano with orchestra. He pushes on the moderator to make it quieter.
Beethoven sonata op 49 no 2 on a Schantz fortepiano (video of him playing this piece on this instrument) on the modern grand... No slurs... Play non legato. Long palling in select sections only. Try 1/2 and 1/4 blow too. Dynamics equivalent...
Use professional editions. You may extend on beats. Scales may speed up a bit. Allegro doesn't necessarily mean fast!!!!
Presto is different from today. What was fast then? Horse! "Today we drive a car on the highway going 120 mph talking on a cellphone."
Video of Schubert Impromptu... Tempo switches in different modes/keys.
English principle:
Broadwood 1785 makes the first pedal at outside edges of the piano.
Una corda shift limiter. You can go to two strings or one string.
Damper pedal was split on some of these instruments. Beethoven had one with split piano. 1815.
Clementi piano... You could depress half the pedal for different sides of the piano. It also had the una corda shift limiter.
John Field ...invented the Nocturne, not Chopin.
On the modern piano, you can get the "sf" by playing a little early. You can't get the true "sf" on the modern instrument.
1830 Irmler piano. Video: Schumann: Romance in F# Major. This piano has a dark, baritone-like tone quality.
1847 Erard ... Chopin used between this and Pleyel.
This instrument begins to sound more modern. The dampers are beneath the strings and they react very slowly. He played a video of Raindrop Prelude on this instrument, then demonstrated on a modern grand.
1853 Beckstein, Steinweg, and Blüthner Started piano factories in different cities.
1856 leather coved hammer... Getting worse...
Video of Liszt on a Bösendorfer from 1856
The new, heavier pianos made people invent things like finger stretchers... Bad!
1859. Steinway patents cross-stringing. Now we are heading toward the modern instrument.
Brahms: Intermezzo, op 118... A Major..... Action comes from above... Video
1885 first dishwasher developed
1886 coca cola invented... Atlanta.
Scriabin on a Blüthner.... Video ... Piano had real gold ... 1905... BEAUTIFUL SOUND!
Modern concert grand - he listed the static down weights, etc, for modern as compared to all others he spoke of today.
Schimmel Pegasus... Cover opens electrically. You sit on a seat attached to the piano.
He ended with an amazing performance!
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