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Bases On Which to Judge the Tonal
Value of the Pianoforte
Leslie M. Hopkins, of the Miessner Piano Co., Milwaukee, Wis., Before the Annual Meeting of the Na-
tional Association of Piano Tuners in Chicago, Discusses the Basis of Piano Tone—Piano
Tone a Universal One, Containing Tones Characteristic of All Instruments
EN and things are judged only by com-
parison with other men and other
things. This implies that before judg-
ment can be rendered a standard of comparison
must first be established; a standard based not
on our own individual preferences, but one
formed by a careful, accurate analysis of that
which is generally conceded to be superior in
its field.
To judge intelligently the tone of a piano we
must, therefore, have a very definite conception
of what the ideal tone is, and the manner in
which the standard was established. We are
dealing with an abstract thing, which fact pre-
cludes the possibility of a concrete definition;
but in matters of art we have learned to accept
the work of recognized masters as our guide,
and it is to them that we must turn in this in-
stance.
In tone, two factors are sought—quality and
quantity. The terms must not be confused, for
either may exist independently of the other.
Quality is the factor which renders the tone
agreeable to the ear; and quantity, or volume, is
the factor which determines the extent to
which the quality is audible. Since volume
without quality is of no value, it becomes plain
that quality is the governing factor and the one
to be considered in judging tone. What, then,
are the elements of quality, and how may we
know their presence?
The history of the piano discloses a steady,
though somewhat slow, development of its
acoustic properties. From time to time the
standard has been raised, or perhaps it would
be better to say that the standard has been more
closely approached, for the ideal toward which
piano builders have been striving for the past
century has not undergone any radical revision.
Perhaps the most recent noteworthy attempt to
define and classify the quality of piano tone is
found in the Proceedings of the Piano Tech-
nicians' Conference for the years 1916 and 1917.
From the published records of this Conference
I quote as follows:
M
. . . the piano is supposed to be a universal
instrument containing those tones found char-
acteristic of all other instruments. We may,
therefore, deduce that a simple tone is not a
desirable piano tone. Given a series of partials
to and including the seventh, allot fifty per
cent intensity to the first partial, the balance
in sequentially decreasing proportion, and we
have the mezzo-soprano quality. This is re
ferred to as a pleasing tone. It carries well,
and I think we may thus safely classify piano
tone.
This definition appears to have had the sup-
port of all the authorities present at the con-
ference, and since it agrees in the main with the
views of earlier acousticians I propose to accept
it as correct. The first sentence should be
studied carefully. If the piano tone is comprised
of those tones found characteristic of all other
instruments then we are contemplating a com-
posite tone, and a complicated problem.
We find a wide variety of musical instru-
ments, each with a tone distinctly and individu-
ally its own, which is duplicated only by mem-
bers of its own family. We-are familiar with
most of them, and can name them upon hear-
ing them played. We recognize the cornet,
violin, flute and others, because of certain tonal
characteristics. To understand this more fully
let us see why each instrument has a tone of
such pronounced individuality.
We are familiar with the movement of a
sonorous wave. We know that the first move-
ment of such a wave is called the first partial,
the second movement the second partial, and
so on. We also know that the amplitude and
sequence of the partials are determined by the
manner in which the sounding body vibrates. It
follows, then, that by properly designing the
sounding body we can bring into prominence
any partial we choose; or, to put it another way,
a given design will always produce a given se-
quence and intensity of partials, unless inter-
fered with or influenced by a foreign body. The
resultant tone then becomes characteristic of
that instrument, and becomes the means by
which we recognize and name it. Let us say,
for example, that the cornet produces a tone in
which the second partial dominates. The sec-
ond partial must, therefore, be the characteristic
partial of the cornet tone, and is one of the
partials which the designer of pianos seeks to
incorporate in his instrument. All other in-
struments are characterized in the same manner,
with sometimes very little difference in those
closely related in design and origin.
A natural question now would be, "If all
violins have the same characteristic tone, then
why haven't they the same quality of tone?
Why is the tone of one superb and that of an-
other distressing?" A prominent acoustic engi-
neer has answered this by saying, "Quality is
absolutely dependent upon the relative intensity
of the component partials." Thus, it is not
enough that a tone be dominated by a certain
partial. The other partials must be heard in a
well-ordered sequence, and with a given inten-
sity. This alone determines quality. Both violins
may have a strong seventh partial. In the good
one the balance of the partials will be evenly
and properly distributed; in the poor one they
will not be. The difference is immediately ap-
parent to the ear, and is a direct result of care-
less design or inferior materials.
There is a clos"e analogy between the tone of
instruments and the various nationalities of the
human race. Just as we have learned to asso-
ciate certain sounds with certain instruments,
so we have learned to associate certain char-
acteristics with the people of different nations.
We immediately recognize the Chinese, the
German, the Italian, and so on, because of the
distinguishing racial features. But because we
find one Spanish senorita of surpassing beauty,
or another of unsurpassed ugliness, it does not
follow that all will be either ugly or beautiful.
We are likely to find both extremes, and the
presence or absence of beauty will be deter-
mined not by the distinguishing features of the
nationality, but by the balance and proportion
of those features. An undue prominence of
one, an underdevelopment of another, and the
balance is destroyed, the beauty marred. The
same rules govern the quality of instrumental
tone. The component partials have their pre-
determined positions and prominence, and the
beauty of the tone will be governed by the
extent to which the rule is followed.
It must be apparent that since the piano tone
embraces those tones found characteristic oi
all other instruments it is based on an orchestral
effect. Such is, in fact, the case. When listen-
ing to a well-directed, well-placed orchestra we
are immediately impressed by the harmony and
unity that is apparent throughout the perform-
ance. No instrument dominates except in pas-
sages where it was plainly intended to domi-
nate, and none fails to contribute its share to
the harmonious whole. Of course, there is the
historic instance of the man who attended a
symphony recital with the result of having ob-
served solely "the remarkable coincidence of the
fiddlers' elbows," but it is assumed that any one
at all musically inclined has carried his observa-
tions to a greater extent.
We now have established one constant by
which we may judge. The piano must have a
composite tone, based upon orchestral unity. It
must be like an orchestra in which each instru-
ment, properly disposed, speaks with just the
correct amount of volume. To recognize this
distinguishing feature of piano tone we need not
be expert analysts. It is not required that we
have that keenness of tonal perception by which
the gifted few can isolate and name the com-
ponent partials of a tone. But it is required
that we understand the composition of tone, and
that our ears be sufficiently well trained to ap-
praise the degree of faithfulness with which the
scale draughtsman performed his task. Without
this knowledge we may err as greatly as the
kindergarten pupil who showed her teacher a
pencil sketch, exclaiming, "See my pretty
horse!" The teacher laughed, not at the crude-
ness of the drawing, but because the child had
drawn a cow instead of a horse. The little girl's
observations had been so limited that she had
not learned the distinguishing characteristics of
each animal. Of course, it was only the mis-
application of a name, but since custom has de-
creed that all animals called horses must ex-
hibit the features of the species, we cannot
do less than abide by the decision.
It would be malicious to say that many a
piano has been made that is more cow than
horse, but just as truly as a standard has been
established, so is it true that any piano which
does not at least approximate this standard
does not justify its name.
We know a horse when we see one. We
may not know much else about him. We may
not know whether he is an \rabian, or a Clydes-
dale, a Percheron or a broncho, but we do know
that he is not a cow. For as long as we can
remember we have been able to distinguish be-
tween the two animals, and had we so desired
we could have increased our knowledge to the
point where we could tell a thoroughbred from
a scrub. We would have learned that strong
legs are useless to a horse with the heaves, and
by the same token we can learn that a good
tone in one part of the piano has little value if
the rest of the scale suffers by comparison. Yet
how often do we hear a salesman say to his
customer, "Listen to the deep, resonant bass of
this instrument."
That is all very well, indeed, and if all of
our musical compositions could be played in the
bass register nothing more could be desired.
But unfortunately that is not enough. A healthy
bass does not compensate for an anaemic tenor.
We cannot have an orchestra composed only
of tubas and cellos. So when passing judgment,
do not be misled by any robustness of tone that
is limited to a certain area. Your horse must
have four sound legs, not just one or two. And
remember that every bit of volume beyond
normal which we find in the bass section is
gained at the expense of the short, treble wires.
We need sufficient bass to balance our orchestra,
but no more. Yet one is almost persuaded to
believe that some manufacturers build their in-
struments with the belief that the bass is the
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