Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1920-09-13
Piano in the Making
Ry Frederic J Haskin


world at the disposal of anyone who mas
the price, is told in the Worch collection
of pianos which has been Installed In the
National Museum here. :.
This collection of las Instruments Is OF
interest to everyone who listers to music
with pleasure. for il shows how much we
owe TO the generations that nave gone
before us. The piano which is COM
mon-placc fact in the life of almost every
modern. is ore of the most intricate ana
artificial of all mans achievements. IL is
not an invention but an evolution ana
took as lorg to grow as modern civilization
itself. First no doubt men sang and wins
tied. And then they learned to multiply
and enrich the Vibrations of breath by
blowing through pipes. And then some
oie discovered that there was music IN
"A stretched string. and out of this grew the
harp The pilno is a harp. marVelousiy
complex. aud mechanically manipulated.
The exhibit Is so arranged as to give
eomnrehensive idea of how the modern
piano came into being. Starting with the
more remote members of the family, such
as the clavichord hammer clavier, splnet
and harpischord, the collection ranges IN
almost unbroken sequence up through the
various stages of evolution until the mod
ern piano Is reached. o..
MIR Hugo Worch, a piano merchant OF
Washington, is the donor OF the collec-
tion. For over 30 wears he has been
searching the civilized world for links
in this evolutionary chain, and the quest
still goes ON.
THE oLD-TIME MAKERS.
The older instruments were largely eX-
perimental in character, each individual
maker working more or less independent
IL and putting a deal of his own PERSONAL
ity into his creations. The keys OF the
earlier instruments were of wood, instead
of ivory, as in the present day, and sew
ersl of the specimens have black keys with
white sharps One of the instruments
bears the name of the maker and the date
of manufacture on large brass plate.
In these times, the purchase of piano
was something of an event. The early
master of the art was often proud and
temperamental person. The would-be
purchaser of his wares sought HIM out and
begged 20 be allowed to own one of these
matchleSs instruments. The maker would
take his time considering the matter and
If he was agreeable, a contract was sign
cd. in which the prospective buyer agreed
90 allow him to set the price, style and
date Of delivery. 1t was slow business,
for every part of the work was done by
hand Finally, when the task was COM
pleted and the instrument safe In his
possession, the new owner would make q
great feast to which all the notables were
invited 10 view this eighth wonder of the
local world.
These ancestors of the piano were made
in many different styles, ranging in size
from the tiny TO the immense. Some o!
the models on exhibition look almost like
a child's toy, while others are great un-
wieldy affairs which would almost fill the
floor OF a modern sittlngroom.
In the first stages of their development
both harpsichOrds and pianos were made
with side levers instead of pedals. Both
instruments were profuSely ornamented
One OF the harpsichords In the Worct
collection has its cover filed with paint
ings depicting pastoral scenes. But one
should have a deal of reverence for thess
old instruments. II was on and for tn,
harpsichord that the elder Bach composed
his matchless m usic. He had no respect fol
pianos.
BEETHOVEN A PIANO PIONEER.
Beethoven was the first of the farnou:
composers TO take kindly to the piano
He used one of the famous Stein instru.
ments, manufactured by Nanette Steir
of Vienna, who In addition to being ont
Of the first business women of her day anC
generation, was a great friend and ad
mirer of the composer and did much tC
make his last years happy and com
Portable.
The piano was coming into its own lat.
in the eighteenth century, and the Worcl
collection has number of specimens o
the instrument dating from about 1775
The oldest upright In the collection Is on,
made by Stein of Vienna In 17SS. Thert
are also a number of early English pianos
among them a Broadwood Grand mad
IN 1890, and an upright from the factor,
Of Stoddard and Southwell which bear
the date of 1900.
The history of these early instruments i
somewhat uncertain. Mr. Worch picket
them up wherever it was his good fortun
20 find them, and he has been unable 70
the most part TO trace out anything witt
reference 10 their former owners.
The oldest American piano IN the col
lection Is fve octave square, made Il
Philadelphia IN l775. 1t was not until af
ter the Revolution that American manu-
facturers began to take up this work an,
apply themselves TO 1t seriously. The frs
instruments produced in this country wer
divided In principle between the Gerrnal
and English models. For America is In
ventIve along mechanical rather thai
along esthetlc lines, and the America
improvements to the piano have been for
the most part IN the mechanical direction
Even to this day, European instrument
have d much greater degree of individual
lty than our own. American aims a
quantity, and our inventive genius ha
been exercised rather along this line thal
that OF improving the individual units @
production. For where the Europeal
factories have turned out one piano, our
have made a dozen or maybe hundred
and instead of being mark of distinction
IN America TO own a piano, ii Is though
that a home is not properly furnishe,
without one.
PIRST UPRIGHTs CENTURY OLD.
The Worch collection does not includ
any Of the more modern innovations sue
as the pianOla or player piano, which ar
of distinctly American origin. 1t is con
fined to the aristocrats of the family.
shortly after the Revolution, ther
grew up keen rivalry between the man
uiacturers IN various cities, and from thi
time on we have instruments from Ne,
York, Boston, Baltimore and Philadelphia
For the period from 1775 to 1910 there is a
almost complete collection Of America
instru ments. The first upright to make il
appearance In this country was from th
shop of Hawkins of Philadelphia, an
bears the date Of 1901. This instrumen
forms one of the most interesting parts {
the collection.