The broad ax., 1920-05-22

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state Of perfection sufleeeit 70 say
however, that tits the direct descend
ant Of the Spinet, in Italy called the
Espinetto, in Germany, the Cavier, q
small instrument shaped like a squase
piano, and with about three OctaSes
The wires we1e Of brass and very snail.
The instrument was placed upon IA.
bic or staad and was small enough "a
be carried under ones arm, "a fact
which imagine would be boon to
householders in these May days Of high
cost of moving).
Then came the harpSiehOrd which
was the forerunnsr Of the grand piano
Of today. The piahOfOrte proper was
invented in I'LL by one cristofOri, q
F1orentine maehanie, and was called q
Fortepiano from its capacity Of be
ing played loud or soft.
The essential feature Of the piano
forte mechanism is in the use Of the
hammer to produce the tone, aad the
necessary provision for doing this sue
eessfully is to secure an instantaneous
eseapement Of the hammer from con-
tact with the wire, As soon as the
blow has been delivered, while at the
same time the key remains pressed in
order to hold the damper away from
the strings and allow the tone to 20
on. These features were all contained
in CristOfor's = invention.
cristoforiis invention was taken up
almost immediately IN Germany and a
Dresden piano maker, silberman be
came very eelebntee. Fredench, the
Great, made Bach try his pianos in the
palace at Potsdam.
The squarefOrmed piano began to be
made about 1850, but the instrument
involved no new principals being
merely q Clavier with Pianoforts
mechanism. The new form So O-eompact
and inexpensive began to be pOPulsT
and was soon the standard form for
private families, ~ that Of the CISvier
had been before, and as the square
piano remained until about 1870, when
the inherent mechanical difficulties Of
the upright were for the hrst tinessat-
isfaetorily overcome Pepys, in his
diary tells Of having purchased a vir-
ginal which pleased him very much at
the cost Of FIVE guineas-abOut $26.O0.
Imagine the prieeI
Although the instruments were still
small and strung with small wires
there was q tendency toward Increased
compass, which by the beginning of
the 10Th Century led the 'BOradwoOds
Of London to attempt grand piano
with six octave compass. But they
found the wrest plank Tin which the
tuning strings are plaeed1, was 80
weakened by the extension that the
treble would not stand in tune. In or
der to strengthen the instrument they
introdpeed the iron extension bar. This
was in the direction Of greater sOlidity,
and better resisting power to the pun
Of the strings.
In 1905, Sebastian Erard patented
his grand action, which, with slight
Improvements, stiH remains the model
Of what q piano action should be. Be-
tween 1905 and 1882, the instrument
was the subject Of great number Of
improvements in every direction. The
damper mechanism was perfected, the
stringing had been made heavier, the
hammers prOpOrtionAteiy stronger, and
the power Of tone had become greater
50 that the instrument had become
ready for the great pianists, such as
Liszt and ofhers
Meanwhile improvements were car
ried on for the purpose Of rendering
the instrument impervious 10 the at,
taeks made upon its stability by these
great yirtuosi. In the early appear
aHee Of LsEt, IL Is said that Il was
necessary to have several pianos in re.
serve upon the stage. 20 that when
hammer or string broke (and' that. was
frequently, another piano could be
moved forward for the.next number on
the program.
The most important in the solidity
Of the Piano came from the invention
Of the e'iron frame, ~hieh was invented
and tried ont BY several Americans.
but it remained for Jonas chiekerine.
Of Boston, 70 perfect the iron fame |
By including in the single eastiag the
pin bridge and damper soekst rail,
which Improvement sin remains at the
foundation Of piGno making.
The hrst oventrung scale wns sx-
libited By ssef1wzy 4 sons in
which the bass afrings were spread ont
md carried over part Of the treble
strings thus afording thea more iati-
'ade for Vibration, without interfering.
nd bringing the bridges nearer 70 The
'snteF Of the sounding board,
The ide4 VA not new st this time
'at the sssIhuay system of over
trinsirg, va mors extssdsd. and
olysa aessstieal dinsdliies q ~hat
% known - ero2 ribfktioas mors