Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-08-19
EVOLUTION OF THE PIANO.
How This is Shown in Exhibits at
The Fair.
First the ClavichOrd, Then the spinet,
That the Instrument Of Today.
Correspondence Of The Evening Star.
CHICAGO August Is

1t is probable that not many Of the read
ers OF The Star, as they hear the notes of
the piano played on these summer nights.
stop to reflect from what primitive be-
ginnings the instrument started. Some Of
us have seen old harpsich ords and locked
at them in wonder to think that they have
anything In common with the modern
piano. but whoever wishes to see the old
est pianos must come to the worlds fair
and see the wonderful collection in the
musical section OF the liberal arts building.
1t embraces almost all the notable types
and illustrates quite completely the evolu-
ton OF the most popular musical instru-
ment Of the present day. Near this col
lection are the pianos OF the best modern
makers. There are big concert grand
pianos. baby grands' and "uprishts," but
the square piano which used to be SO pop
ular seems to have been given a position
In the background and is not now exhibit
ed among the most modern instruments.
In the historical exhibit the visitor may
first consider the earliest instruments re-
sembling the piano and these are known as
ciavichords. They were made as early as
the middle of the fifteenth century and
as general thing had no legs. but were
table. The first one has four and one-half
octaves and the sound comes from a piece
Of brass fastened to the back of the key
When the key is pressed this brass strikes
the string and makes the sound. There
are more keys than there are strings end.
each set OF strings produces three differ
fury later Is set upon four legs and the sets
Of strings produce but two different tones.
A third one is in quite an elaborate case,
rocco style. in white enamel and gold,
and belongs to the seventeenth century,
and one made In l1S9 has black ''naturals"
and white ''sharps."
The Spinet.
The evolution next in order In the piano
oil vic Tn
| old books that are still read the accounts
of an accomplished lady Of fashion usually
include the assertion that she played the
spinet but IL any young lady Of the pres
ent day were given one OF these queer in
| struments to perform upon she would be
rather helpless. Some Of them are really
more peculiar-looking than the clavichords
| themselves. There is. for instance. a double
| spinet Of four octaves. made by the famous
Hans Fuckers, the elder. of Antwerp. He
belonged to a family Of spinet makers, who
manufactured the instruments as early
1878, but this one is supposed to be of later
| little spinet." tuned to an octave higher
| than the larger. 1t can be taken out. and
the two can be played separately. The lid
OF this remarkable instrument, when raised,
shows an elaborate old painting Of the con-
test before the gods of Apollo and Mar
syus. The former is playing viol and the
There is a background of hills. a castle and
a lake with boat on it. Where the little
|
and women and women dancing in pairs.
| The spinet Is supported by q carved stand.
or paintings upon the old instruments there
are number. and some of them are fine
works Of art. On one Of the old harpsi-
chords. for instance, of date 1873. the lid
is embellished by an elaborate landscape
| by the great Dutch artist Van kessel.
| Most of the spinets are Italian, with
| three to four octaves. There is one string
string and causes the ' vibration i The in
| strument, 1t will be remembered. was a
favorite one of Queen Elizabeth. and ii may
easily be imagined without much imp-ob-
ability that she listened to one Of these now
on exhibition at the fair There are not
many musical instruments that were pop
ular for a longer period, for il was invented
| IN the fourteenth century, and continued in
use up to the eighteenth. One curious
is has on the Ia the o Eatn motto
| transit gloria mundi." This was the maker
who supplied Handel with his favo-ite
harpsichord. which is now the outl Ken
sington Museum in London. An English
spinet. made by Thomas Hitchcock Of Lon
don in 17so has five octaves and lookS not
present day.
The Harpsichord.
The next step from the spinet is to the
harpsichord. an instrument so modern that
! many of US have grandmothers who played
upon II. At Mount Vernon there is the one
Nelly Custis used. and In old furniture
shops the collector is still able to pick one
up as a curious article OF furniture. Among
the finest In the collection uu.ier .sonsidera-
ton Is the one with five octaves built by j.
boards, with tortOise-shei .'naturais'' ard
sichords in that it has eight stops such as
are used in organs. 1t has q long set of
nss what tWa Is as
ducing an "eight-foot Tone two still
shorter. for a 'four,foot tone" and the
Of the hes stops initiates the lutte. another the
harp. 1t stands on eight legs and the sound
ing board is elaborately painted; as. also, is
about this notable old instrument. but the
maker was one Of the most famous of his
day and W sna The Of
probable that there were many harpsichords
finer than this one. and 1t is fair to presume
clans Of the day Another interesting harp
schord is the one made by Jocobus Kirk
man Of London in 1863. 1t mas five Hctaves
tone" and one initiating the lutte. The his
tory of the instrument is interesting. II
was first owned by Napoleon the First and
after his Punishment to st: Helena was
/, given to a French sergeant. The latter left
France and came to America. carrying the
harpsichord with him He settled at Scitu-
ate. Mass. one of the old fishing stations
:. near the dreaded Minots ledge. In 1888 he
sold the harpsichord to Simon Bates who
Inherited II, and 1t thus passed into the col
! lection now shown at the fair.
d The Piano.
| The visitor may now pass into the region
| of the present generation and see the Ger
man hammerclairer or pianoforte The tone:
are produced by blows of hammers agains
,, tightly stretched strings and the hammer.
are worked by a keyboard-that. in a sen
tence Is a description of the working Of
| niano One old one shown Is made BY
, Johann Christon Jeckel of Worms in i1e3
, | 1t has 4 1-2 octaves. the keyboard being {,
: the left and is In appearance ike the OLD
, | square piano except that II Is half as large
An older one of similar pattern Was mad
by Frederick Schneider of Mernbccg tn LIT
; and there Is an old upright of Use. Ii look
: like a secretary" and the striass run In
l horizontal direction. Another strange on
is a square piano in the FORM of lady
sewing table 1t has four ,ctaves and on
> pedal The earliest American piano Is
: large square one of 1-2 Gctavas. made il
, New York about 1876. There are tire,
q pedals 1t is inlaid with brass and oeauu
, fully carved.
: The collection includes a lumber Of con
cert grand pianos, most notable Grlonl
4 which is one that belonged to Madam
!. Streicher and on the sounding boar,
is the following inscription: "Nanett
Streicher nee Stein. Wien, 1916" She Wa
the intimate friend Of Beetho zen and h
| used to visit her summer retreat at Eader
1t is safe to say. therefore, that Beethoye
played this particular piano.
y Eyes of Deep-Sea Fish.