Herz Action Design

[Richard Brekne]

Richard Moody wrote:

> RicB,
>     The action diagram given in Dolge, "Pianos and Their Makers"
> shows a completely different design from the one in your
> attachment to an earlier post.  Dolge gives the date as 1850.  It
> is titled "Erad-Herz Grand  Action, Paris 1850.  Sorry I don't
> have a scanner but Dolge is still in print at least through piano
> supply houses or the Univ. Library.
> ---rm
> -

Yes... but this is from a different book, and the action in my piano is
exactly the same as depicted in the diagram. The diagram can be found on
page 176 of Rosamond Hardings book on the History of the  Forte Piano up
to 1850 or so.

This patent was for 1844 I believe. Herz was a pretty active fellow back
then ( I suppose you'd have to be to invent something like this
instrument) and he produced several different designs around that time.
1850 was the year of a big exposition in London and I guess a lot of
makers wanted to show what they had come up with and accordingly were
pretty busy around those years.

RicB

--
Richard Brekne
RPT, N.P.T.F.
UiB, Bergen, Norway
mailto:rbrekne@broadpark.no
http://home.broadpark.no/~rbrekne/ricmain.html