Voicing ideal per Dolge

[John Musselwhite]

>This quote from "Pianos and their Makers" puts in a nutshell what I describe
>as the Gradient Zone concept of voicing:

"The art in hammer making has ever been to obtain a solid,
 firm foundation, graduating in softness and elasticity toward
 the top surface, which latter has to be silky and elastic in
 order to produce a mild, soft tone for pianissimo playing, but
 with sufficient resistace back of it to permit the hard blow
 of fortissimo playing."         - Alfred Dolge 1911


>I find it difficult to imagine a more succinct way of saying it.  My hat is
>ever off to Alfred Dolge.  If any of you are not familiar with the man and
>his work I strongly recommended reading up on him, especially the 1980
>biography by Eleanor Franz.

In the Steinway factory on Long Island they still have (or did have a year
ago) an original  (1910?) Dolge machine in working order bolted to the floor
next to the space-age hammer press they use for production. That department
looks strange without the line of old Dolge presses with just the holes in
the floor showing  100 years of wear by craftsmen and machines to remind you
of Dolge's contribution to that particular make.

BTW, I wonder if sets of hammers made on that old (80-100 years?) press ever
get out and if they're any different from those made on the modern press?
How could you tell?

                John

John Musselwhite, RPT               Calgary, Alberta Canada
musselj@cadvision.com              sysop@67.cambo.cuug.ab.ca