Lester Farme/Capo what?

[S. Brady]

On Wed, 4 Oct 1995, Jeff Stickney wrote:

> =20
> notice that the piano had a "Capo Tasto Bar".  Now, I always thought it=20
> was Capo D'astro.  Or is astro the name of the dog on the Jetson's?  What=
> =20
> exactly does Capo D'astro/Tasto mean?  Any Italians out there?  (It's all=
> =20
> Greek to me.)                                                              =
> =20

      Actually, it seems that "Capo Tasto" was the original name of
this invention. It originally applied to something more like a pressure
bar on an upright. It was patented by Antoine Bord in 1843. In Italian,
capo tasto means something like "head fret."
      "Capo D'Astro" appears to be a corruption of Capo Tasto, and it's
Italian translation would be "head of the star." Whether the corruption
was intentional, say to fool the patent office, or out of ingnorance, I
really don't know. But it became the more frequently used name.
      What I'd like to know is why a few people call it the the
"d'capo" bar!


Steve Brady, RPT        "The most expert and rapid tuners are...
University of Washington       possessed of a highly excitable,
sbrady@u.washington.edu        nervous, and emotional temperament,
                         verging on the border of insanity at times."
                              -Daniel Spillane, The Tuner's Guide