Music Trade Review

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THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW
The " Crown " Orchestral At- the strings in various ways; the second course allowing for the difference in size
manual would be of a lighter tone; and of the two instruments and the difference
tachment.
there was a contrivance for getting a
crescendo or diminuendo by opening or
closing a part of the lid, similar to the
swell in an organ.
The tone of the harpsichord was pleasing
and in the large instruments somewhat noble
and majestic. But, as I have said, expres-
sion was impossible. This failing is over-
come in themodern substitute, the "Crown"
piano, and in rendering the old music on
it we are able to bring out possibilities of
expression which the composers doubtless
felt but were unable to realize.
I should mention that at present the
mechanism can only befitted to an upright
piano, and that is why I use an instrument
of that shape. But an attachment to a
grand is in contemplation.
Prof. Dunkley then proceeded to describe
and analyze in detail the following pro-
gram :
between your fingers and metal tangents.
I repeat that the clavichord was a most
ABILITY IN INTERPRETING THE WORKS OF
expressive
instrument, the most expressive
THE OLD MASTERS.
of all the keyed instruments, but unsatis-
factory in point of volume of tone. There
Prof. FerdinandDunkley, of Albany, gave
is, therefore, little wonder that musicians
a lecture reciter at the recent convention
and makers strove to construct something
of the N. Y. Musical Teachers' Convention
that would combine power and expression.
held at Binghamton, entitled, "Some Old
The piano-forte was the outcome, and
Chapters of Keyboard Literature, and How
though the early specimens were so poor
They Should be Interpreted," which admir-
in quality of tone that Bach would have
ably set forth the adaptability of the
nothing to do with them, we all know how,
"Crown " piano and orchestral attachment
by virtue of its gradual improvement, the
in interpreting the work of the old masters.
piano at last entirely superseded its pre-
The program was most artistically and
decessors. Nevertheless, I will venture to
intelligently rendered and the lecture
say that if an instrument of the harpsi-
listened to with the deepest interest.
chord tone could have been invented with
After some pertinent introductory re-
the "Crown" piano's perfect power of
marks, Prof. Dunkley said:—
expression,™ it is doubtful if the hammer
The virginal, the harpsichord and the
clavier would ever have been developed,
spinet were all alike in the main principle
and Steinway might have been making
of their action, though they differed in
or HARPSICHORD, Win. Byrd, (i536-1623.) 7 ^ octave harpsichords at this moment.
shape even as the piano differs in shape. VIRGINAL,
The Carman's Whistle, with variations.
I specify harpsichord in this speculation as
Galiardo.
The tone was produced in much the
Pavana: The Earle of Salisbury.
the tone of the clavichord could never
Galiardo Secundo : "Mrs. Mary Brownlo." /
same manner as that of the mandolin. The
Galiardo, Orlando Gibbons, (1583-1625 )
have been very materially increased in
The Lord of Salisbury, his Pavin.
plectrum of the virginal tribe was called a
Johann Sebastian Bach, (1685-1750.) volume, and if it were possible it would only
jack. It was a wooden upright resting on the CLAVICHORD,
Chromatic Fantaisie and Fugue.
back end of the key lever, and from it a
I emphasized the fact that the instru- have merged into the softer tones of the
spike of crowquill projected at right angles ments of the virginal tribe were incapable harpsichord. It has remained, as you see,
which twanged the string in passing, pro- of expression and that composers were fora piano to be the means of bringing to
ducing a tone like this. (Illustrates).
unable to get the full beauty out of their perfection the character of the harpsichord,
The original shape of the virginal ap- works on that account. In Germany the and to overcome the feebleness of the
pears to have been like that of the clavi- clavichord was largely in use, though not to clavichord, and considering that both of
chord, the prototype of the square piano. the exclusion of the harpsichord. Unlike the original instruments are deceased, it
It was sometimes called a spinet, and both the latter, the clavichord was a very ex- is indeed a glorified resurrection. And
the virginal and the spinet were also made pressive instrument, but on the other now that in the " Crown " piano we have
something like a horizontal harp.
hand its tone was very feeble and inade- the virtues of the harpsichord and clavi-
Authorities differ upon the origin of the quate for the growing breadth of thought chord resuscitated in a glorified form, 1
name spinet. Some suppose it to have and the era of passionate feeling which strongly advocate that all music composed
come from an Italian maker of the name was about to dawn. Nevertheless, failing for those instruments, and which, there-
of Spinetta, others that it was the name in anything better, Bach was very fond of fore, requires the characteristic tone-color
given to the first instrument that used the the clavichord and wrote voluminously for to give it its fullest effect, should be played
quill or spina, a thorn, in the jack. Any- it. In shape, as I mentioned before, it on a "Crown" piano.
Only the other day at the National As-
way the names were considerably inter- was the prototype of the square piano and
mixed and in England the term virginal very small. Instead of the harpsichord sociation's Convention, Mr. Henry Holden
included all the quilled keyboard instru- "jack " it had a "tangent," a stout brass Huss emphasized the fact that Bach's mu-
ments—virginal, spinet, harpsichord and pin flattened out to an eighth of an sic was written for the delicate clavichord,
inch in width where it came in contact and not the /lammer-clavier, with an accent
some other species.
The name virginal is said to have origi- with the string. On depressing the key, on the hammeF. Much of its beauty is un-
nated through the instruments being more the pin rose to the string, setting it in doubtedly lost under the blunt tone of the
often played by maids and virgins than vibration, at the same time acting as piano, its delicate figuring is coarsened
anyone else. Would it not, for the same a second bridge and dividing the string while at the same time this music is too
reason, be an appropriate term for the into two unequal lengths, one of which was slight a medium.for full sonorous tone of
thus made the required length for the the piano. That is why so many pianists
piano to this day?
The harpsichord was very much like a prescribed pitch. The other was waste have felt themselves obliged to elaborate
grand piano in shape. It usually had two and was prevented from vibrating by a Bach's works to make them acceptable on
rows of keys and we do read of one that narrow strip of cloth interlaced with all the piano.
I will not detain you any longer with
had four rows. As it was impossible to the strings, which also acted as a damper
get expression by touch on any of the to the whole length when the tangent was talking, but finish out the program. I only
instruments of the virginal tribe, many released. The tone thus produced was beg you not to look for the overlaid brilli-
were the contrivances in the large harpsi- naturally very feeble, as you can gather for ancy which you are accustomed to hear in
chord to get varieties of effect. There were yourselves by taking a violin and striking modern pianistic rendering of the chromatic
stops t like in an organ which affected the fingers down upon the strings, of fantaisie and fugue, doubling in octaves,
PROF.
DUNKLEY
DEMONSTRATES
ITS
ADAPT-
The BRAUHULLER PIANO is a KLONDIKE for every progressive dealer.
ready.
NEW STYLES are now
Send for new Illustrated Catalogue, BRAUHULLER COHPANY, 402-410 W. 14th St., N. Y.