The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1893-03-17
RIVULETS OF MUSIC.
The Janko Keyboard Ex-
hibited for the Fort
nightly Music
Lovers.
MISS NEWCOMERS FINE WORK
Little Master Federlein'S Phrasing
and Technique = Social
Notes.
MISS NEWCOMERS FINE WORK

The members of the Fortnightly
company at last nights meeting, held at
| the residence OF Mrs. w. r. Durrie. No.
go Glenwood avenue. An audience fairly
representative OF the city heard the re-
suits of the Janko keyboard, upon which
the instrumental number, were given.
This opportunity for close examination
| did much to impress the listeners that
the new board is not, as generally sup
posed, a mechanical appliance for sup
plying deficient musical talent, out a
scientific development of the at of pia no
making.
In the essay upon the subjec-. written
by Miss NeWcomb, read by Miss Lamber
ton. the general principles upon which
the Janko BOARD is constructed were made
clear, Briefly speaking, there is really
the same number of notes as in the ord1-
nary board, yet since every key has three
| places where it may be struck, the ap-
| parent number Is much Larger, in fact
| completely bewildering TO the first glance.
There are then six banks OF KEYS, ar
ranged like stairs, the rise from bank to
bank very slight. since instead of playing
from left to right on one bank of keys,
the hand may 60 up or dow over the
three banks. This slipping from one KEY
to another is further facilitated
by rounding OF the edges.
Remembering how poor Tausig used to
ruin Liszt's pianos by whiting off the
edges of the Keys SO as to multiply dlhl-
culties to conquer by practice, it seems
odd to see how this very proceeding aids
in the Janko mechanism. BY this three
bank arrangement the octave is made no
more of q stretch than a major fifth, aud
the extended chords hitherto possible
only by a painful effort Of muscular ex-
pansion. aided by the pedal, brought cas-
lily Within the compass of a hand of med
ium size. Then, 100, the keyboard is
similarly contracted in extent, and by Il
coupling arrangement there is produced
an orchestral effect that can never be
brought out on the usual Keyboard.
WHAT WAS PLAYED.
The compositions selected were of q
nature well calculated to show the range
Of the Janko, and the artists the sphere of
its usefulness. Miss Ethel Newcomb.
although yet Ia her teens, was a pianist
of metropolitan celebrity before she had
ever seen the Janko. Under her hands
one might see the vast field which the
board opens 10 the artist, by minimizing
present difficulties in technique; Mr..
Gottfried H. Federlein, son Of the famous
musician, began his musical education
under these acknowledgement very long
ago, for he is now now but nine years old.
Miss Newcomb began with the Bach A
minor fugue, that musical logarithm
that inspires the hearer with awe for
anyone who can play it. and veneration
TO anyone that could write it. We have
Miss Newcomb's word for it that with
the Janko, it is brought, SO far as
technique goes, within the compass OF
a musician of average training. The
Chopin numbers. the E major etude and
G major %nocturne, were played az Chopin
nTnha hlu NAVAL than QinpA thew Sny
that since his hands fell from the keys
no Others could play his notes as they
were written, and as he meant them TO
be interpreted. By bringing the techni-
cal difficulties of the etude, especially the
great age in contrary motion, into n