Many uprights and baby grands have a bass sustain in place of the sostenuto pedal, which lifts all the dampers in the bass. It works like the damper pedal, but only affects the lowest notes.
Some upright pianos have a practice pedal or celeste pedal in place of the sostenuto. This pedal, which can usually be locked in place by depressing it and pushing it to one side, drops a strip of felt between the hammers and the strings so that all the notes are greatly muted — a handy feature for those who wish to practice in domestic surroundings without disturbing the neighbours. The practice pedal is rarely used in performance.
Cristofori's new instrument remained relatively unknown until an Italian writer, Scipione Maffei, wrote an enthusiastic article about it (1711), including a diagram of the mechanism. This article was widely distributed, and most of the next generation of piano builders started their work because of reading it. One of these builders was Gottfried Silbermann, better known as an organ builder. Silbermann's pianos were virtually direct copies of Cristofori's, with one important addition: Silbermann invented the forerunner of the modern damper pedal, which lifts all the dampers from the strings at once.
Like many other inventions, the piano was founded on earlier technological innovations. The mechanisms of keyboard instruments such as the clavichord and the harpsichord were well known. In a clavichord the strings are struck by tangents, while in a harpsichord they are plucked by quills. Centuries of work on the mechanism of the harpsichord in particular had shown the most effective ways to construct the case, soundboard, bridge, and keyboard. Cristofori, himself an expert harpsichord maker, was well acquainted with this body of knowledge.
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1 & 2 / Piano Pieces' - Brahms, Wilhelm Backhaus (piano), Karl Bohm, - available from Buywell .Decca 'Wilhelm Backhaus - Brahms: Piano Concertos Nos
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Wilhelm Backhaus recorded Beethoven's complete piano sonatas in mono for Decca in the early 1950s, and with Although numerous piano mavens hold Backhaus' Beethoven in high,
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Such was the case with Wilhelm Backhaus, a true 'lion' of the piano. He was the last exponent of a style of playing that was centered in Leipzig. It emphasized a transparent approach to the music ...
Decca & Philips Worldwide | Help | Contact | Terms of Use : Wilhelm Backhaus ... Beethoven. Diabelli Piano Variations/Piano Concertos 1-3. 433 891-2 (3CDs)
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Compilations of Wilhelm Backhaus classics and listen to its finest classical music Wilhelm ... Solo Piano Works (Backhaus) (1932-1936) 8.111041: Great Pianists (1926-1945) 8.110783-84
Wilhelm Backhaus, piano/ Vienna Philharmonic/ Karl Boehm. Studio: EuroArts DVD 2072058 . Video: 4:3, color . Audio: PCM Stereo . Length: 73 minutes . Rating: **** The Beethoven Piano Concerto No. 4 was recorded ...
