<HTML><HEAD> <META http-equiv=Content-Type content="text/html; charset=iso-8859-1"= > <META content="MSHTML 6.00.2800.1458" name=GENERATOR></HEAD> <BODY style="MARGIN: 4px 4px 1px; FONT: 10pt Tahoma"> <DIV>I bought a CD some years ago..."Steinway = Dynasty"<BR></DIV> <DIV>Jerome Lowenthal performs on 10 Steinways old and new...<BR>from an = 1857 square grand, the "Centenial" Concert Grand...(was that 1875?) a turn = of the century upright, et.al... 10 different pianos recorded in the same = "space"....will give you an idea. </DIV> <DIV>I think it is out of print.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Also, I should say friend of mine has an 8'4" 1864 Steinway = concert grand (cross strung). In those days you</DIV> <DIV>could still get a straight strung grand if you wanted one. It = was "refurbished" with</DIV> <DIV>teflon action in the late 70s otherwise, the (shimmed) original b= oard/bridges are intact....new (heavy, modern) Steinway hammers... it = has a very, very heavy stiff action. Almost unplayable.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV> The damper underlevers were updated</DIV> <DIV>at that time as well w/teflon bushed underlevers. The new underlevers = "intruded"</DIV> <DIV>so far forward that the key ends had to be notched out to eliminate = binding against</DIV> <DIV>the keys...(boy did that feel weird!)...</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Well, you have a lot of control when playing slow... :-))</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>The capstans, (a retrofit?) are not even front to back...many touch = wood on the back edge</DIV> <DIV>of the wippen underfelt. These need to be moved/or the whippens need = to be moved back.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>New brass action rails were installed, and could be moved out to = increase the spread, if I</DIV> <DIV>thought it would help. If I ever get time away from pianos I'm making = money on, I'll look</DIV> <DIV>into it.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>It sounds pretty much like a modern Steinway,except it very = woody tonality but is very resonant I</DIV> <DIV>have heard this sound in other old pianos besides Steinway.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>This is hard to describe. The treble is sweet, and a bit weak due to = not being able to get good strike point</DIV> <DIV>because the hammers are way too thick up there. They need to be = shaved a lot slimmer to work right,</DIV> <DIV>but then, the tone will be quite different...more brilliant.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>The original soundboard was shimmed and the original bridge is intact = with no cracks!</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>The original pinblock is tight as can be, but with 4/0 pins.  It = did not need to be plugged, or anything.</DIV> <DIV>Now that's quality!</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>I holds tune extremely well, (but it is not in a practice room,either)= .</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>It is agraffed all the way up to note 85. </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>The piano has a pretty robust tone, with a big bass. </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>The owner doesn't have the money to make those improvements. = Personally I think these "improvements" are questionable, and would = recommend refurbishing an antique action with original parts if = possible.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>The CD recording I mentioned above, has fine examples of the older = styles of Steinway</DIV> <DIV>pianos. You can get it on Inter- Library Loan, though your local = college/univ library.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>West Music here has a Centenial concert grand, for a lot of bucks it = can be yours...(like $150,000), cause</DIV> <DIV>they claim it is one of  only 3 in the world. Believe me it is = NOT a revelation as far as </DIV> <DIV>historic performance/composers go. It sounds like a modern piano. = There are many</DIV> <DIV>'innovations" obvious to the careful observor, but it is so close to = sounding like a </DIV> <DIV>modern grand I doubt very much you'll hear much difference between = it, and a.... Knabe....</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Another CD you all might enjoy is "A Golden Treasury of Historic = Pianos" with instruments</DIV> <DIV>from 1800 - 1845. The 1800 Rosenberger FortePiano is really beautiful.=   Here you can</DIV> <DIV>hear the differences these early pianos could make. The pianos are = lightly strung, and</DIV> <DIV>hammers are covered in buckskin.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Label= Amon Ra CD-SAR64 I might have gotten this from Berkshire = Records.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>I think I have a recording of someone playing Liszt on Erard, (which = sounds like a clattery Everett</DIV> <DIV>made in Canada, I think.)</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Also available on CD is a recording on a restored 1880s Steinway = D @Bayreuth that Wagner owned and</DIV> <DIV>probably also played by Liszt. Restored by Hamburg Steinway, it is = mostly modern in sound but</DIV> <DIV>with that extra woody resonance, gone from modern musical instruments,= it seems. That, atleast</DIV> <DIV>give some revelation as to a different sound aesthetic. By the 1880s, = the pianos were pretty much</DIV> <DIV>sounding like they do today, except for maybe the Broadwoods or = perhaps Bosendorfer w/Viennese</DIV> <DIV>Actions.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>All these CDs can probably be gotten interlibrary loan, and dupped = w/your friendly computer/CD burner.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>As far as Liszt goes, he owned at one time or another many brands of = pianos. He wrote</DIV> <DIV>many endorsements on their worth, among them: Chickering,Bosendorfer,E= rard,Bechstein,Steinway, Ibach.</DIV> <DIV>Perhaps the upright at Weimar.is an Ibach. There are several accounts = in various books of how</DIV> <DIV>he taught and on what pianos he played. Fascinating reading.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>His last pianos at Weimar were an upright, and a Bechstein = concerrt grand. He played the upright to demonstrate on, and his pupils&nbs= p;performed on the Bechstein.  There are some photos that</DIV> <DIV>can be seen of him seated at the upright. Perhaps the Decca recordings= of Jorge Bolet on Bechstein</DIV> <DIV>concert grands give you some idea, and then, perhaps not.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Please don't ask me to document everything...I'm already staying = overtime ....I'm not goint</DIV> <DIV>to research all this again. It is in the books  on Liszt for you = to read.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Liszt at the upright:</DIV> <DIV><A href="http://perso.wanadoo.fr/joel.puissant/perse/liszt.html">htt= p://perso.wanadoo.fr/joel.puissant/perse/liszt.html</A></DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV><A href="http://www.freud.org.uk/Theory5.html">http://www.freud.org.= uk/Theory5.html</A></DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV><A href="http://www.mycomposers.co.uk/?page=composer&surname= =Liszt">http://www.mycomposers.co.uk/?page=composer&surname=Liszt= </A></DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV><A href="http://www.classical.net/lps/images/big/lon-liszt.jpg">http= ://www.classical.net/lps/images/big/lon-liszt.jpg</A></DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>the early square piano (can you imagine???!!!)...</DIV> <DIV><A href="http://www.arts.arizona.edu/mus330b/images/liszt-02.jpg">ht= tp://www.arts.arizona.edu/mus330b/images/liszt-02.jpg</A></DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>perhpas you'll want to look at:</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>1860 Steinway (like my friend's)...</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV><A href="http://www.liszt.it/steinwaynew.htm">http://www.liszt.it/st= einwaynew.htm</A></DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV><A href="http://www.periodpiano.com/Stock/default.htm">http://www.pe= riodpiano.com/Stock/default.htm</A></DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Liszt's Erard</DIV> <DIV><A href="http://www.metmuseum.org/news/newspressrelease.asp?PressRel= easeId=%7B98ED1CDA-5015-11D5-93F5-00902786BF44%7D">http://www.metmuseum.o= rg/news/newspressrelease.asp?PressReleaseId=%7B98ED1CDA-5015-11D5-93F5-00= 902786BF44%7D</A></DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>sorry for thils windy post...</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Richard</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV> </DIV></BODY></HTML>