Eric Leatha wrote: > positioning. Many pianists *need* the full 88 keys to give them > the visual cues as to where their fingers lie. (I know I do) Try > this: play Brahms Op. 118 No. 2 on a short keyboard (actually, > any Brahms will do). You'll see ..... If you look at the expanding ranges of keyboards in an historical context you see that at a particular time different ranges were available according to what you wanted to pay. F.i. in 1820 Vienna you could still buy a 5 octave piano, or 5.5, or 6, or the latest model at 6.5 octaves. The bigger instruments were a lot less common (the pentium's been around for a while now but there's a lot more 486s). Schubert (1797-1828) never used the notes below FF...all of his music fits on a 6 octave piano. The final run in the F minor impromptu, from the top to the bottom note on Schubert's piano, loses its stunning effect on a modern instrument. Early musicians were a lot more versatile than modern musicians who expect to find exactly the `same' instrument wherever they go, and object to having to adapt. The extra 3 notes to c5 are completely useless on a *domestic* piano and must add somewhat to its overall cost. A domestic piano with a 6.5 octave range would probably be suitable for most amateur purposes, and the acoustic effect of the extra notes is probably insignificant on a low-end instrument also. BTW Brahms had a 7 octave piano AAA to a4 when he wrote Op 118 and the other late piano music. The earlier piano music was written for a 6.5 octave instrument, CC to g4. It's interesting to compare the two versions of the B minor piano trio, or the two concertos. Stephen Birkett (Fortepianos) Authentic Reproductions of 18th and 19th Century Pianos Waterloo, Ontario, Canada tel: 519-885-2228 fax: 519-763-4686
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