fortepiano

[Rick Florence]

Ken,

I'm not sure what exactly to call this thing.  Thanks for the info.  So what
constitutes a fortepiano?  He is asking $5000.  The case is nice and all
original.  It will hold reasonable tune, although it is a full step flat and
I'm not inclined to pull it up very far.

BTW  I must have had too late of a night - my dates are all mixed up. The
decal says 1873, not 1853 and I was thinking the manufacture date to be
1870's to 1880's.  No, I don't think a 1850 - 1860 piano would have an 1873
decal on it (duh). 

Rick.



on 10/26/01 12:15 PM, Ken Eschete at k-eschete@northwestern.edu wrote:

>> Dear Rick,
> 
> I have come across pianos like what you are describing, although not
> by that particular maker (or dealer if it is a "stencil piano").  I
> am not sure that the  presence of a Viennese action makes this a
> "fortepiano", but rather a mid-19th century grand piano with a
> composite plate. Some Viennese makers, including Bosendorfer, stuck
> with that action long after the rest of the piano makers had started
> using the Erard type.  I have seen them with full cast iron plates
> with cross-strung bass, and still a Viennese action!
> 
> The value of that instrument is about the same as any other from that
> period...the style of action and makers name will not enhance the
> value.  If it plays and holds tuning; and if it has a nice 19th
> century case; that is what will determine it's value. What was the
> price on the piano?
> 
> Sincerely,
> 
> Ken Eschete
> Northwestern Univ.
> 
> 
> 
> 
>> Hi all,
>> 
>> I was asked to evaluate a piano for sale yesterday and wasn't totally
>> prepared for what I found.  It is a fortepiano.  It has a Viennese action,
>> an unusual flanged damper system, and a substantial plate (much of it bolted
>> together)  One curious thing about the plate is that it passes through the
>> bass bridge, you have to remove the bridge  cap from the root in order to
>> remove the plate.
>> 
>> Anyway, we talked about what the piano was musically, but I didn't have any
>> historical answers.  I assume that it would be dated somewhere around 1850's
>> to 1860's as it is similar to the beefier structure of the Schrimpf
>> fortepiano here at the school.
>> 
>> The soundboard decal says:
>> 
>> Weltausstellung Wein 1853 (reference to the 1873 Vienna World Fair I assume)
>> Pianoforte-Fabrik
>> vor
>> Josef Berger
>> Vien
>> V. Margarethenstrafse 59  (address?)
>> Werk 1702  (I assume this is a serial #, as it appears on other parts)
>> 
>> 
>> Anyone know who this Josef Berger was?  I can't find his name anywhere in my
>> books or the various internet sights.  If so, does the serial # point to a
>> date?  Lastly, does this particular builder hold any significance in the
>> history of the piano, or was he just another builder in Vienna?
>> 
>> 
>> Thanks for any info.
>> _____________
>> Rick Florence
>> Piano Technician
>> Arizona State University, School of Music

_____________
Rick Florence
Piano Technician
Arizona State University, School of Music