Hamburg Steinway, sostenuto - not

[Joseph Garrett]

Steinway was the first to Patent it. That's all I know. I did read Men, Women & Pianos. That tidbit was forgotten. Whether it was a Sostenuto as we know it or some other "lever" thingee" is impossible to say.  "Is a puzzlement" (King of Siam to Anna).!!!! There certainly was little, if any music written with that "effect" until around 1890-1900, as far as I've been able to ascertain. (Open for correction on that point, as well.<G>)
Regards,

Joe Garrett, R.P.T.
Captain of the Tool Police
Squares R I


----- Original Message ----- 
From: Thomas Cole 
To: joegarrett at earthlink.net;Pianotech List
Sent: 1/23/2007 8:49:53 PM 
Subject: Re: Hamburg Steinway, sostenuto - not


Boisselot & Sons of Marseille, 1844 Paris exposition, "... exhibited an instrument in which it was possible to keep any selected group of dampers - or one single damper - off their respective strings while the rest remained in contact with theirs."
        Men, Women & Pianos

The Europeans didn't like it so maybe Steinway was the first to use the device on their pianos. :-D
Tom Cole

Joseph Garrett wrote:

Allen asked: "I'm rebuilding the action and restringing on a 1926 Hamburg Steinway 
O 170, and was surprised to find that it has no sostenuto mechanism, 
although it does have tabs on the damper levers (the old un-hinged 
kind). It's not just missing the mechanism - there are only two 
pedals. This is my first experience with an old Hamburg; I wondered 
if others with more experience with them (Europeans perhaps) can tell 
me whether this is typical, and when they started installing 
sostenutos. Perhaps other models had the sostenuto in this era, and 
that's why these dampers have the tabs?" 

Sincerely, 

Allen, 
The Sostenuto mechanism was invented by Steinway in the mid 1870's 


Joe Garrett, R.P.T.
Captain of the Tool Police
Squares R I
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: https://www.moypiano.com/ptg/pianotech.php/attachments/20070123/88a251d7/attachment-0001.html