Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-11-02
THE MUSIC WORLD.
Herr Paul Won Janko With His Novel
Keyboard Proposes to
REvOLUTIUNIZE PIANO PLAYING.
Chicagos Auditorium Organ a Veritable
King of Instruments.
NEWS NOTES OF GENERAL INTEREST

Mr.. Paul Won Janko and his revolution
lied piano keyboard have for some years at
tracted the liveliest interest in European
musical centers. He came oversee a fort
night ago and is now engrossing the atten-
ton of New York's pianistic populace.
From the full description of the invention
printed by the american Musician, from the
pen of Prof. Richard Hausman, Director of
the Janko Conservatory in Vienna, the fol-
lowing paragraphs are extracted:
The exterior appearance of the Janko
keyboard resembles a flight of six steps,
The KEYS are ranged terrace-like in six
rows, one above the other, not, however, in
4 straight line upward, but in the manner
of tiles on roof, the juncture of each two
KEYS in one row being exactly in the middle
OF the keys in the row Immediately above
it, thus only the KEYS of the first, third and
fifth rows, and the keys of the second,
fourth and sixth rows respectively, are ex-
actlv one above the other. So that the keys
of the first. third and fifth rows slope in a
straight line one above the other, and so also
do the KEYS of the second, fourth and sixth
rows
THE six rows are not independent of one
another, bur the keys which lie in line
one above the other are connected together
and are pressed down whenever the corre-
spending kew in one of the rows is struck,
50 that the KEYS which lie exactly one above
the other naturally produce the same sound.
If then. a KEY be struck in the first, third or
NTH row. the sound heard will always be one
and the same and not that of an octave higher,
nor will 1t be a weaker nor a stronger sound.
And the same effect will be produced if key
in the second, fourth or sixth row is struck.
Each key of the Janko keyboard, when
viewed from the side, looks like a stair consist
ing of three steps aud can therefore be struck
In any one of these three ponts-touch-point
or key-steps. This arrangement, by which
every key, /. e., every note, can be struck and
pressed down at the different projecting POINTS
touch -DointS-iS one OF the chief character
isUicS of the new keyboard. With view to a
more easy recognition of the keys, the key
steps of the notes sharp 6 sharp, A sharp c
sharp, d sharp are distinguished by a black
stripe while {, d, E. +, g, A, B, are white.
The groups of two and three black keys with
their three and four white ones are easily
recognize bic at first sight and are in fact the
same as on the ordinary keyboard"
The surfaces of the key-steps, or touch
points, are fla, but the right. left and front
edges are rounded off cyllndrically, so that in
no place do the touch-polnts present an edge or
sharpness. This is an important feature of the
Janko keyboard and offers immense facilities
to the touch in rapid passages, blending of
tones. skipS, etc.
The peculiarly of being able to produce the
same tone in three different places gives the
performer far greater freedom and convenience
of action as the large number of touch-points
enable HIM to choose the key nearest to, l. E.,
most convenient to the finger concerned.
Unlike the keyboard hitherto used, the
Janko keyboard permits the hand to constantly
preserve the natural position demanded by its
anatomical structure. The arrangement of the
SEperposed rows enables the thumb to play
upon the lower rows. leaving the other fingers
free TO use the higher ones, thereby allowing
tie thumb to hold the peculiar position which
Ii naturally occupies in contrast with and be-
low the other fingers