[pianotech] Borgato pianos?

[Ed Sutton]

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Conrad Hoffsommer" <hoffsoco at luther.edu>
To: "David Ilvedson" <ilvey at sbcglobal.net>; <pianotech at ptg.org>
Sent: Monday, April 13, 2009 7:08 AM
Subject: Re: [pianotech] Borgato pianos?


>
>>That is the weirdest piano I've ever seen.  Even if there were some 
>>musical
>> value to
>>this lower "pedalboard" piano, the design and look of it makes it look
>> ridiculous.  It
>>looks like a piano that just stepped out of a wading pool or sitzbath.
>
>>Even the Borgato website devotes most of the space on the website to
>> rationalizing
>>the existence of this bastardization of a classic instrument by citing
>> historical
>>references to pianos such as this in the past.  There were a lot of wrong
>> turns along
>>the way; that doesn't mean recreating one has any validity today.
>
>>What's next from Borgato?  The Giraffe Vertical?
>
>>I'm sure I'll get flamed for this---I'm just poking fun.  It may very well
>> be an excellent
>>instrument.  I'm just amused by the very thought of it, let alone the
>> pictures.
>>Thanks for sharing them.
>
>>Could this website have launched on April 1st?
>
>>Tom Sivak


Not April 1st, sorry.

I think the set-up wouldn't be too bad except for the lift of the
upper instrument up onto the blocks. It's really hard to see on that
video, but if I had to guess, that pedalboard slides into place just
like an organ pedalboard and plays the lower instrument like an old
Vorsetzer. Some "pedal" instruments had pull downs and used the same
action as the fingers. At least this has a separate lower instrument
like the pedal division of an organ. The pedals are dished, but don't
look radial - not AGO...

The pedal piano probably has a normal action in it.  Hmmm... In
keeping with the "practice organ" idea, I wonder if the lower
instrument has an octave coupler to get a full 8 octave range?

Going to the ridiculous...  If he wanted to do the full historical
add-ons he should have a Moòr keyboard with Janissary stop, Fagotzug,
Venetian shutters, Rinky-Tink and moderator. That would be about 12
stop pedals???
;-}


-- 
Conrad Hoffsommer, RPT
Luther College
Decorah, IA