The issue of the 9' grand in the Beethoven trios is an interesting example, and is why I used it. There are many recordings of classical music with piano and various other instruments. We have come to accept the associated problems with such alacrity, that we often fail to realize how much effort goes into making the music work. To know just how much this is so, one need only turn to the recordings of Beethoven's 'Cello and Piano Sonatas by Malcolm Bilson, fortepianist and Anner Bilsma, 'cellist, or their trio L'Archibudelli (sp), to hear how vastly the entire fabric of the music changes when the balance is that of the original instruments, so different from that of their modern counterparts. The argument can be made that a good composer, and Beethoven certainly qualifies, write ideomatically. The character of instruments and the inherent balances which occur naturally, is literally written in to the music. What we hear today on modern instruments is great stuff, but different in some very profound ways. Would Beethoven like the modern piano? No one knows for sure, but personally I think he would have loved it! But I also think it would have inspired some very different musics from his pen. It is a bit like Shakespeare in the vernacular. Valid, yes, but better? The problem we listeners face, is bringing an open mind to the discussion. Your point about the strings' power against the singer is also well taken, but that also leads into a discussion of the changes in the fiddle in the last hundred-fifty years. Warning: you probably don't want to get me started on that. Steve >>> <Bdshull@AOL.COM> 05/06 6:56 PM >>> Steve, Jon: More square piano meanderings.... I realize I hadn't mentioned the main reason for the Jan deGaetani recording with the square piano: historical value. This goes, of course, beyond academic historical interest to the very things we piano techs and musicians should be interested in, which is what you (Steve) have pointed out: the square's tonal character. Now we know about the necessity of the fortepiano in understanding the music of the period; I believe this is the point of using a square with Stephen Foster's songs, for example. The square was in many American homes in the 19th century, and much of this music was played with the square piano. And how fitting to use it for the Foster songs. Steve, don't diminish the power you string players have. A few of you string players easily drown out a singer - except for a few medical miracles - the modern voice, well rehearsed and warmed up, using normal vibrato, is about all us singers can muster. Put it with a small string orchestra and the singer better not get the orchestra mad. Back to the chamber rehearsal - I wonder if the Steinway was voiced a bit bright, or the piano difficult to play pianissimo. It is not always possible to match instruments in performance (period vs. modern), but I think I would want to have gut on a violin if used with a fortepiano, and modern strings with a Steinway D. But its a good point about the character of the square. It seems to me (not a designer) that a square is such a severe compromise both in terms of the action - extremely long key, no repetition feature - and structure - treble bridge bend - that it was a detour in piano development. But I don't really know - I only repeat conventional wisdom of the last 30 years. However, given the revival of interest in the fortepiano, I wonder if we all should be more careful than before when called to appraise/evaluate and give advice on a client's square grand. Again, I am interested in some others weighing in on this. Bill Shull University of Redlands, La Sierra University Loma Linda, CA In a message dated 99-05-06 18:06:23 EDT, you write: << The somewhat lighter, relatively transparent tone made balancing the small string ensemble as well as the vocal quartet as simple as could be. Eventually the pianist was convinced as well. She was able to cut loose a bit more, and didn't always have the feeling she would have been better off in the next r! oom. >>
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