The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1866-04-13

FACTS Notwithstanding pianos
what would become Of our modern civil
ization ? Consider for moment wha
an important part this ubiauitous in
strument performs inTtheO social econo
mics of Christendom. Consider how ex
tensiyely it serves as the medium for ex
pressing the whole range of emotion
! sentiment and idealization which MAKE
up the daily life of humanity. The dis
astrous consequences that would result
| from suddenly cutting off this organ O
expression are almost iincalculableI /;
would be like abohshfhg half ofour Ian
guage, and setting ourselves back. hun
dreds of. years, with comfy the meagre
barbarous -jarg0p of our root.eating
caye:inhabitin gancestors Certainly oul
piano makers deserve to rank high
among public benefactors cTE I
1t would be an interesting investiga
| ton to trace the growth and influence
of this instrument, from its first rude be
ginnings to the present time. Its career
| has been parallel with that OF modern
culture, and the philosopher might find
| in its successive notifications an cpl
tome of the worlds history for hundreds
of years. Between the first rude harp
and it's latest and most highly perfected
descendant "Chickering Grand 10 IN
cluded all that is valuable in the devel-
opment of civilization A student of
keen insight, perhaps, might trace this
development here, as clearly as in the
pages of Buckle and Draper. He might
also find in this simultaneousness of
growth. an explanation of the unparal-
leled popularity of this instrument.
People like it, because it rs like them: it
reflects their characteristics. This is
the piano age. Take the best type OF
modern culture and the most perfect
"Chickering" and is there not recogniz-
able between them the strongest family
likeness? How wonderfully they ans
ver to each other in subtility, del1cacy,
and finished elegance of expression, IN
extended range Of power, in brilliancy
ana rapidity of movement, in purity. Of
tone from which all e1traueous elements
have been eliminated, in touches of ex-
ouisite tenderness and beauty, combined
with capacity for sustained and accu-
mulati7e effort which in every contest is
almost sure to win the victory. We
might pursue the analogies in hundred
other particulars. but it is not necessary.
The proposition is selfe7ident And
besides, our purpose is not to indulge in
philosophical speculations, nor desultory
fancies about pianos, bat to note few
facts of general, practical utility.
Accordingly, we proceed to state some
of the results of our own experience, in
regard to piano matters And, first, in
regard to purchasing. We have had
eleven different instruments and have
found that the lowest in price are inva-
riably the most expensive. Of course
we do not refer to those which are COM
paratively low on account of plainness
of exterior. The very best i'll material
and workmanship has proved, in our
experience, the cheapest, although cost
ing originally some scores of dollars
more than the NEST SNOWY ones By 9th
er makers In buying pianas, therefore,
for musical purposes, get the best; il
you want them for parlor characterization,
select the cheapest,
There is an immense number Of piano
makers, and all profess to make the best
instruments How shall the buyer
choose between them, then The rule
We have adopted is this. taking the
more prominent, goto those whose pop
ularity has been of the longest duration.
A popularity that has worn fifty years is
certainly much surer indication Of uni
form excellence than one that dates
back only FIVE or ten years. A sham
reputation may sometimes be built ~
by "puffs, paid testimonials and other
tricks of charlantry, and, for while, it
may seem very imposing bat it cannot
stand the tests Of time When persons
bay instruments of certain maker use
them ten, Fifteen, and even twenty or
thirty years, and then. return to the
same house for a new supply, you do not
run much risk in buying at the same es
Enlistment
Another important point is 10 have a
clear idea of what yon want in au III
strument You do not want Il thunder
ing noise, ragged twang OF wires, a
confused tumble of tones, nor lumber
ing, nnwieldly volume of sound that
can no more express the delicate shades
of emotion and sentiment than an ele
plant can skip like lambkin. A piano
is for the expression of the highest and
holiest sympathies of the heart the gay
sportiveness of JOY, the subtle play OF
humor and fancy, the ETHEREAL creations
of the imagination, the solemn nedita'
tons of the soul, and, for all this, there
is needed a perfection of expression
even more complete, if possible, than he
human voice is capable of At all events,
the piano should approximate as nearly
to the excellencies of the vocal organs
as the nature Of things will allow. AC
cordingly, the prime qualities TO be
sought for in ali instrument, are purity
of tone, fieXiDility TO express the most
delicate shades of sentiment and the
most powerful utterances of passion, the
capacity to'prolong both single notes
and chords, without which the piano is
but thinking symbol" and perfect no.
mogeneousness of tone. Of course the
quality of the mechanism is also of vital
importance No matter how exquisite
the tone, if the instrument cannot retain
its pitch and harmony for two b ours III
succession, like some we have tried, it is
worthless No one wishes to tune his
piano every day, TO repair it every
month, and buy new one every year.
Another prime point is ease and pre-
cision in action. Without this. perfect
expression is impossible The instru-