The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1896-09-03
A NEW PIANO.
M. Steinert DeviSeS a Piano as
Sensitive as a Violin.
Tones Produced Like an Organ,
French Horn, Cello, Clarinet.

Small as the state of Connecticut looks
on the map, it's importance In point OF
inventive genius stretches over the entire
world, for more great inventions have
sprung from Nutmeg genius than from
all other states of the Union. There is
now In course of process in the patent
Office at Washington another invention
from little Con nnecticut that, judging from
expert testimony, will be OF worldwide
importance. / refer to the new piano
Invented by Mr.. Morris Steinert of this
city, who IS known throughout the
United States and Europe as student
and authority on keyed and stringed in
struments, and whose collection of these
instruments is the rarest and most val
liable in the WORD. Mr.. Steinert has spent
many years in the study OF this type OF
instruments, ana when he exhibited his
collection at Vienna in 1892, and played
upon them all, he was greeted with great
applause for having restored relics of lost
arts. He is today the only man in the
world who plays the clavichord, the earli-
est type of these instruments.
Mr.. Steinert's invention does not con-
sist of new piano.. but in a new method
for getting the tones In the present
piano. He has labored for many years
to produce a mechanical arrangement of
the keys that will do away with what
most people call the "thumping" noise
made by the blow OF the key upon the
chord. MIR. Steinert has at last succeeded
In producing piano in which the nature
of the note produced Is SPONTANEOUS with
and corresponds to the touch OF the
finger upon the key. Ihis result is at
tanned by a clever mechanical device
which can best be explained by likening
1t to the human hand. The player is
consequently brought into closer touch
with the instrument and the tones pro-
duced ere more dependent upon the
musicians touch.
NEW INSTRUMENT A WONDER.
A host OF well known musicians have
played upon Mr.. Steinert's new piano,
and all are loud in their praises, and in
fact are convinced that a wonderful di COW
cry has been made. Joseffy saw The in
vention when 1t was only partially COM
pleted, and declared ii wonderful, and
such musicians as Harry Rowe Shelly
who have played on the completed in
strument, are at q loss to describe its
wonderful tones. They have been ena-
bled to produce tones like those OF clar-
met, a French horn q cello and an Or
gan. Mr.. Steinert declares the invention
still incomplete, and believes he can ac-
complish still more.
Even in it's present state this new piano
puzzles one by its tones. 1t is difficult
| to describe its musical effect, other than
to imagine the dropping out of he
humping noise of the keys and the get
ting of a note that corresponds TO the
musical intelligence OF the finger on the
keyboard. TO understand II fully one
must be familiar with the development
of the present piano and its mechanical
construction. Mr.. Steinert kindly offered
to explain his invention to the readers Of
the Herald, and in speaking of its histori.
cal feat u-es said:
"During that period when musical art
stepped out OF the folds OF the Catholic
Church and planted it's seeds in the
rankssof the people it brought with 1t
the song of the human voice and the
sublime tones OF the grand and royal
organ. TIE method of playing this in
strumeni by means OF keyboard prob
ably suggested the idea of such an appli-
cation to stringed instrument and thus
created the clavichord and harpsichord.
EARLY sTRINoEp INSTRUMENTS.
"While the clavichord, with its loosely
drawn wires stretchede across soend-
ing board and set in vibration by little
bits OF brass fastened to the key that
struck these tender chords, produced
soul-inspiring tones that were ever SO full
of expression, II lacked power. Not so with
the harpsichord, a wing shaped instru-
men., similar In appearance to our pres
ent grand piano, whose strings were
| tightly drawn across the sounding board
and were intoned and plucked by means
of quills fastened upon jacks that were
operated by the keys. The tone OF the
harpsichord was brilliant and loud, but,
unlike its contemporary, devoid OF ex pres
sion. These were the stringed keyed in
struments up to the beginning of the
eighteenth century.
"The desire manifested itself then for
having an instrument that would COM
bine both qualities namely, soft and
loud tones at the will of the performer
and by the touch OF the finger upon the
key. Cristofori, in l710 solved this
question with his invention in striking
the strings by means OF little hammers