Alright, let's take a first installment at a better look at the issue of composers, satisfaction with their instruments and the march of "progress". First, criticisms. The Viennese school criticized the English action pianos which were beginning to gain favor, noting that they were less expressive, less supple, and less suited to rapid runs and rhetoric both. They English action gained favor as it was easier for a heavy handed player to control. Note, it was not better, just had a broader market appeal as it was easier to play. The Viennese instruments require tremendous finger control, but then one can do so much more with them. Chopin does criticize Pleyel---when his instrument is months late being delivered to Majorca, and then tremendously out of tune when it does arrive. Brahms criticizes, privately, the heavy actions of the new pianos necessary to fill the late 19th century concert halls. He plays them, he learns to deal with them, but he likes his Streicher. Praises: Gottschalk loved his Erards, taking them touring with him as long as he could. Sadly, financial difficulties forced him to give them up, and he changed to Chickerings, which he also liked, but his style of writing changes. He had to have liked the fact that Jonas would send him instruments. Mozart was so thrilled with the newfangled pianos that he gave up the harpsichord entirely as a performer, though he did comment that the instruments of Stein were superior to others, e.g. Spath, as the checking and damping mechanisms made playing them much more satisfying. He felt these instruments could say all he asked of them. Haydn adored the instruments of Schantz, praising their expressiveness and subtlety of discourse. He encouraged others to purchase them. Beethoven did do a lot of griping about instruments, but generally about those which were sent to him unsolicited. Margaret Hood (fortepiano builder and pianotech in western Wisconsin) has been researching and collecting information on Beethoven and his pianos. It is very clear that he loved the expressiveness and playability of the Streichers instruments. At times one feels him straining against the compass of the instrument, and he was clearly pleased when this expanded. When playing Beethoven on "period instruments" and replicas, one discovers that Beethoven was writing at the limits of the instrument but not beyond. More tomorrow: I have to free up the computer for homework. Anne Anne Beetem Harpsichords & Historic Pianos 2070 Bingham Ct. Reston, VA 20191 abeetem@wizard.net
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