Sunday 5 July 2015

Wonderful Piano!


Good customer Paul McNulty http://www.fortepiano.eu/ sent me these pictures of his latest project.
A replica of a Graf piano made for Beethoven around 1825. It was made for the Kunsthistorische Museum Wein.  Humbling stuff!




9 comments:

  1. Wow, now that is a piece (of playable) furniture ... I wonder what the five pedals are for ??? I thought most had two, maybe three ??? Should be well into dovetailing this time next week !!!

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    1. You know more than me! I'm looking forward to next week, it would be a good idea to bring your Moxon vice with you.

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  2. Definitely will be bringing my Moxon vice. Spent a good while planing yesterday, need a planer thicknesser !!!

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  3. The humbling part is finishing today a recording by a good loyal friend of Beethoven Diabelli variations on this new piano somewhat before its time. They can take four years to sound good. I jumped the gun, and feel sorry for the wasted moment. These things happen. The pedals are, from left to right: 1 una corda shift (this four string piano shifts only to two strings, like the modern piano, but even moderns call it una corda), 2 single moderator (interposing thin layer of cloth between hammer and string, making sound warm and soft), 3 double moderator (second layer of two, staggered one atop the other - rail travels further, interposing two layers for dark, haunted sound), 4 sustaining (lifts dampers), 5 Janissary music (this pedal engages a big drumstick with leather pad stuffed with plane shavings, beating on the soundboard, together with a cymbal - a block with thin brass plate, crashing onto the bass strings - and three bells tuned in c# minor. Very common in Vienna ca.1820)

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    Replies
    1. Thank you for that very detailed reply, that sounds very complicated!

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  4. Actually I copied an instrument from the Kunsthistorischesmuseum Wien for this piano.

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  5. Actually I copied an instrument from the Kunsthistorischesmuseum Wien for this piano.

    ReplyDelete
  6. The humbling part is finishing today a recording by a good loyal friend of Beethoven Diabelli variations on this new piano somewhat before its time. They can take four years to sound good. I jumped the gun, and feel sorry for the wasted moment. These things happen. The pedals are, from left to right: 1 una corda shift (this four string piano shifts only to two strings, like the modern piano, but even moderns call it una corda), 2 single moderator (interposing thin layer of cloth between hammer and string, making sound warm and soft), 3 double moderator (second layer of two, staggered one atop the other - rail travels further, interposing two layers for dark, haunted sound), 4 sustaining (lifts dampers), 5 Janissary music (this pedal engages a big drumstick with leather pad stuffed with plane shavings, beating on the soundboard, together with a cymbal - a block with thin brass plate, crashing onto the bass strings - and three bells tuned in c# minor. Very common in Vienna ca.1820)

    ReplyDelete
  7. The humbling part is finishing today a recording by a good loyal friend of Beethoven Diabelli variations on this new piano somewhat before its time. They can take four years to sound good. I jumped the gun, and feel sorry for the wasted moment. These things happen. The pedals are, from left to right: 1 una corda shift (this four string piano shifts only to two strings, like the modern piano, but even moderns call it una corda), 2 single moderator (interposing thin layer of cloth between hammer and string, making sound warm and soft), 3 double moderator (second layer of two, staggered one atop the other - rail travels further, interposing two layers for dark, haunted sound), 4 sustaining (lifts dampers), 5 Janissary music (this pedal engages a big drumstick with leather pad stuffed with plane shavings, beating on the soundboard, together with a cymbal - a block with thin brass plate, crashing onto the bass strings - and three bells tuned in c# minor. Very common in Vienna ca.1820)

    ReplyDelete