Jeff, It's likely to be mechanically identical to the Metropolitan Museum's Liszt Erard. Bill In a message dated 2/17/2005 5:09:36 PM Eastern Standard Time, Jeff Tanner <jtanner@mozart.sc.edu> writes: >One of our piano faculty members has a straight strung from the 1860's, >but that's probably not what you're referring to? >Jeff > >On Thursday, February 17, 2005, at 05:07 PM, Fred Sturm wrote: > >> Hi Bill, >> I believe the Metropolitan Museum of Art recently acquired an Erard >> which was either owned, or at least extensively played, by Liszt. It's >> not >> out on display at present, but the musical instrument curator was >> talking >> about it last fall. Offered to take us (a Steinway class) down to see >> it, >> but we ran out of time - had another place to be. Sounded like it was >> supposed to be in playing condition. >> Regards, >> Fred Sturm >> University of New Mexico >> >> >> >> On 2/17/05 11:39 AM, "Bdshull@aol.com" <Bdshull@aol.com> wrote: >> >>> Hi, Richard, >>> >>> Thanks for you incredibly entertaining post! >>> >>> While Liszt did endorse, own and play a multitude of pianos >>> throughout his >>> life, the piano of choice during his "recitalizing" and composing >>> years was >>> the Erard. His "sound world" as a pianist and composer was informed >>> by all >>> the brands he came into contact with (and there was a great variety >>> in the >>> first half of the nineteenth century). But since the Erard was his >>> preferred >>> instrument through the early 50's, it was his primary point of >>> reference. >>> >>> This is why I believe in the importance of replicating the Erard, >>> preferably >>> an instrument similar to the one donated by our colleague David Moore >>> (who >>> died in a plane crash a couple years ago) to the National Music >>> Museum: >>> >>> NMM 5984. Grand piano by Erard, Paris, 1849. AAA-a4 (7 octaves). Two >>> pedals: >>> una corda, dampers. Gift of David Moore, Jacksonville, Texas, 1996. >>> >>> David made sure to tell me that he had restrung and rehammered this >>> piano, and >>> that it was no longer original. But this 1849 Erard was the largest >>> compass >>> Erard built to date, one of the first 85 note pianos built. It can >>> accomodate >>> all of Liszt's literature, while faithfully representing his earlier >>> material >>> too, since the design remained similar for the 25 years leading up to >>> 1849. >>> >>> I don't know what the treble will sound like on a replica Erard, but >>> I would >>> love to know. Your very entertaining description of the Erard in the >>> recording isn't the reaction of everyone (my musicology professor >>> loved the >>> sound of the Erard restored by David Winston in the recent Emmanuel >>> Ax Chopin >>> recordings - but he has a more open mind than most... :) >>> >>> I still hold out hope we will get more from the treble when the belly >>> is new >>> and the string is deflected (I haven't found any documentation for >>> crown or >>> bearing for Erard, but I haven't looked too hard, and would love to >>> find it), >>> but it seems obvious Erard would have deflected the string some, and >>> a new >>> belly must sound different than an old one in the treble, no? >>> >>> Loved your post...! >>> >>> Bill >>> >> >> _______________________________________________ >> caut list info: https://www.moypiano.com/resources/#archives >> > >_______________________________________________ >caut list info: https://www.moypiano.com/resources/#archives >
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