Antique Pianos Page

Antique Pianos Resources

By the 1820s, the center of innovation had shifted to Paris, where the Érard firm manufactured pianos used by Chopin and Liszt. In 1821, Sébastien Érard invented the double escapement action, which permitted a note to be repeated even if the key had not yet risen to its maximum vertical position, a great benefit for rapid playing. When the invention became public, and as revised by Henri Herz, the double escapement action gradually became the standard action for grand pianos, and is used in all grand pianos currently produced.

Almost every modern piano has 88 keys (seven octaves plus a minor third, from A0 to C8). Many older pianos only have 85 keys (seven octaves from A0 to A7), while some manufacturers extend the range further in one or both directions. The most notable example of an extended range can be found on Bösendorfer pianos, one model which extends the normal range downwards to F0, with one other model going as far as a bottom C0, making a full eight octave range. Sometimes, these extra keys are hidden under a small hinged lid, which can be flipped down to cover the keys and avoid visual disorientation in a pianist unfamiliar with the extended keyboard; on others, the colours of the extra white keys are reversed (black instead of white). The extra keys are added primarily for increased resonance from the associated strings; that is, they vibrate sympathetically with other strings whenever the damper pedal is depressed and thus give a fuller tone. Only a very small number of works composed for piano actually use these notes. More recently, the Stuart and Sons company has also manufactured extended-range pianos. On their instruments, the range is extended both down the bass to F0 and up the treble to F8 for a full eight octaves. The extra keys are the same as the other keys in appearance.

The soft pedal or "una corda" pedal is placed leftmost in the row of pedals. On a grand piano, this pedal shifts the whole action including the keyboard slightly to the right, so that hammers that normally strike all three of the strings for a note strike only two of them. This softens the note and modifies its tone quality.

Up to Date Antique Pianos News

Antique Grand Piano Dealers Antique Upright Pianos For Sale

Antique grand piano and upright piano dealers and antique grand and uprights pianos for sale ... PianoGrands is an Antique Piano Dealer that carries an unrivaled collection of Antique Grand Pianos ...

Read more...

Nineteenth Century Steinway Pianos 19th Century Bosendorfer Piano ...

The PianoGrands collection includes antique pianos by the illustrious Viennese houses of Bösendorfer , Schweighofer and Streicher, English Broadwood, French Erard as well as America's two finest ...

Read more...

ANTIQUE PIANOS

Purtzer Pianos started in 1980. I apprenticed in a rebuilding shop in New York City. While in New York, I attended City University studying mechanical engineering.

Read more...

Antique_Pianos

Antique Pianos. Wornum Grand. 7'6" in Harewood with ormolu fittings. Down striking action made in London in 1873 based on an 1840 design. Tuning pins arranged conventionally between keys and action.

Read more...

Antique Pianos

La Porte County Historical Society Welcome to our new website and web address: www.laportecountyhistory.org . New Museum building now open to the public.

Read more...