fortepianos

[Steve Brady]

On Wed, 15 Feb 1995, Dennis Johnson wrote:

>         Please correct me if I'm wrong but I thought that all wound strings
> were a loose winding until at least the mid-1830's, and even the tight
> windings I've seen from the mid-19th century extended over the entire
> speaking length (nearly from if not through the tuning pin to over and past
> the bridge).  Maybe they knew something about inharmonicity?  Does anyone
> know exactly when our modern winding design evolved and who is credited
> with this deveopment?

      You're probably right; it's been over ten years since I did the
research, and some of the details are getting fuzzy. I know for sure that
Brahms's 1839 Graf had close-wound bass strings, which may well have been
replaced in the late 19th cent. anyway, and yes, the windings did go over
bridges and past the nut. The world's greatest authority on Graf pianos
is Deborah Wythe in Brooklyn. She did a doctoral dissertation on the
subject and has a phenomenal wealth of data.

> P.S. Steve: Your not the first to call this place St. Olaf's College. That
> happens so often it is an old joke and we half expect it.

      You know, I caught that error in the proofreading, but somehow it
survived anyway (along with a few more serious ones).

Steve Brady, RPT        "The most expert and rapid tuners are...
University of Washington       possessed of a highly excitable,
sbrady@u.washington.edu        nervous, and emotional temperament,
                         verging on the border of insanity at times."
                              -Daniel Spillane, The Tuner's Guide