Browse our available selection, or use our filters to refine your search by size, price, location, distance from you, or color. The history of the piano traces back more than 3 centuries, and chronicles how the piano, most popular instrument in existence, continues to be the premiere instrument as we enter its fourth century. The english piano makers doubted the durability of this complex action which works through an elaborate system of levers. The consequences of this development on his pianism and piano writing are complex and difficult to understand.
The piano its story, from zither to grand by david s grover, robert hale, london, 1976. Sebastien erard soon formed a partnership with his brother jeanbaptiste, and in 1781 they. Our available erard pianos include a range of types, costs and conditions. Erard grand hammer heads are unique to erard only, and not interchangeable with any other kind of grand piano. The 1803 erard grand piano chapter 4 beethoven the pianist. Sebastien erard the founder of the erard brand, was an unusually gifted and hard working piano and harp maker, also known as a master organ repairer. If you need more information on your pianos history please use. His instruments soon gained high regard among performers. This mechanism allows the pianist to quickly repeat a note without. Numbers for most makers will go through a period when they are in four figures, and may resemble a year, for example, in 1791, broadwood square pianos had serial numbers in the 1700s and 1800s. It would be difficult to overstate the influence of the maison erard on the history of musical instruments in general and the development of the piano and harp in particular. The gaveauerardpleyel archives are composed of the instrumental and.
With honed sensitivity and unquestioned expertise, stuart isacoffpianist, critic, teacher, and author of temperament. How music became a battleground for the great minds of western civilizationunfolds the ongoing history and evolution of. Receive email alerts on new books, offers and news. Buy the history of the erard piano and harp in letters and documents, 17851959 2 volume set by edited by robert adelson, alain roudier, jenny nex, laure barthel, michel foussard isbn. This book tells you everything, and i mean everything, about the history of the piano. He moved to paris in 1768 and worked for an unknown harpsichord maker. Jan 01, 2011 a beautifully illustrated, totally engrossing celebration of the piano, and the composers and performers who have made it their own. All hammer heads are handcrafted to exact specifications. Here it will feature as an example of the kind of instrument used at the ball held to celebrate victorias 17th birthday. The history of the erard piano and harp in letters and documents, 17851959 ebook written by robert adelson, alain roudier, jenny nex, laure barthel, michel foussard. This, however, was not a plus for erard during the french revolution.
The centre sebastien erard is the research branch of the gaveauerardpleyel archives, property of the axa insurance group. The recently discovered archives of the erard piano and harp building firm are perhaps the largest and most complete record of musical. Erard paris, france sebastien erard was an apprentice harpsichord maker. By the mid 18th century, romanticism in the arts became all the rage and the pianos popularity rose sharply. This extraordinary square piano is an important historic instrument in music history, as it comes from the possession of the violinist and wellknown publisher jeanjerome imbault. The history of the erard piano and harp in letters and documents, 17851959 2 see more like this 5 x s p o f c n m v s o o r e 9 f g d the history of the erard piano and harp in. The history of the erard piano and harp in letters and. Erard pianos are a popular choice for students, home enthusiasts and professional musicians alike. Sebastien erard 1752 1831, french instrument maker of german origin who specialised in the production of pianos and harps. He writes a short history of the erard pianos, from which we learn how special the piano in question is likely to be. This is the grand piano by erard, which he received in 1803. Aug 28, 2015 sebastien erard and the firm that carried his name are seminal in the history of musical instruments. The english piano maker john broadwood 17321812 was the first to develop the present heavier, more sonorous instrument. The recently discovered archives of the erard piano and harp.
Medici protege bartolomeo cristofori came up with the design in the late 17th century, but it was the playing and compositions of mozart in. The centre was created in 2010, in partnership with the association ad libitum, centre international du pianoforte, in order to make the archives more accessible to scholars. The piano will take pride of place in the teck saloon on the palaces first floor. Erards instruments were so renowned that he obtained a license from king louis xvi to produce pianos for the french court. Erard s inventions especially the double escapement for the piano and the doubleaction for the harp have had an enormous impact on instruments and musical life and are still at the foundation of piano and harp building today. The history of the erard piano and harp in letters and documents, 1785 1959. The rear of each hammer head is squarecut and not tailed. Erard pianos shaped the course of 19thcentury music the. Lee the history of the erard piano and harp in letters and documents, 17851959 por disponible en rakuten kobo. It is played using a keyboard, which is a row of keys small levers that the performer presses down or strikes with the fingers and thumbs of both hands. Lets continue discussing the history of the piano short for pianoforte. Sbastien erard and the firm that carried his name are seminal in the history of musical instruments.
The history of the erard piano and harp in letters and documents. Mar 14, 2003 after 1803 beethoven used a french piano by erard. Erard piano history sebastian erard began building harpsichords in paris in the mid1700s and built his first piano in 1777. Cherished for their brightness, power, and distinctive tonal qualities, erard pianos made a lasting impact on the course of music history in the 19th century. Erard patented his first repetition action in 1808, and a slightly modified version was patented in france a year later. Erard or erhard of regensburg, bishop of regensburg in the 7th century. Sebastien erard was a french instrument maker of german origin who specialised in the. The most important one of them is a double action harp and piano with double repetition action. Erard freres 1811 owned by jeanjerome imbault eric feller. The evolution of the modern piano facts, photos and timeline. The genius of the history of the erard piano and harp, however, does not lie solely in the fact that it is comprehensive. Sebastien erard was an apprentice harpsichord maker. Senior officer in burma a military surgeon named carroll requires a piano and is granted an erard.
In our book, the history of the erard piano and harp, we present a major exception to the dearth of primary source material, one which allows. A royal childhood exhibition, the horniman museum has loaned the palace an attractive erard grand piano. Fleeing the revolution, he opened a production workshop in london in 1792 with his brother and produced pianos there in 1796. List of books and articles about piano history online.
He wanted a more robustsounding instrument than the viennese ones, he wanted the piano with the biggest range, and he liked the erard s pedals. We then provide a detailed history of the introduction of the various piano sizes and types and the fundamental characteristics of all modern pianos. Erard s fame spread and royal commissions followed for louis xvi and marie antoinette. If you need more information on your pianos history please use our history forums to ask questions. The mechanism of the piano that causes hammers to strike the strings when a key is pressed is called the action. After the french revolution destroyed his business, he moved his family to london and immediately started. The firm was founded by sebastian erard who built his first piano in 1777 in paris. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. Luckily, one of his private pianos from this period is preserved, and beethoven scholars and organologists have been able to piece some of its history together. The history of the erard piano and harp in letters. Erards fame spread and royal commissions followed for louis xvi and marie antoinette.
Erard is the oldest and most prestigious french piano manufacturer. An extraordinary first novel that tells the story of a british piano tuner sent deep into burma in the nineteenth century. Sebastien erard patented his double escapement action in 1821, which combined the viennese and english actionsa marriage of responsiveness with force that allows rapid repetition of notes. Sebastian erard began building harpsichords in paris in the mid1700s and built his first piano in 1777. It is the most complex mechanical device in any home and is capable of fulfilling the players every musical wish. It is played using a keyboard, which is a row of keys small levers that. A history of the piano from 1709 to 1980 by david s. Erard pianos for sale buy a erard piano at pianomart. Rather, it is the presentation, and the attentiveness behind it, that strikes one increasingly. History erard piano and harp letters and documents 17851959.
It has been suggested that the piano industry is a sort of microcosm representation of the rest of industry in western europe and the usa, so that the tale of its rise and fall illuminates the story of western industry in general. Sebastian erard was born in strasbourg on 5th april 1752, and his name was originally spelled erhard. He worked and lived in paris and london, but he was born in strasbourg. He wanted a more robustsounding instrument than the viennese ones, he wanted the piano with.
We were talking about the piano of the the midlate eighteenth century. The instrument by erard freres was made in 1811 in paris. The quality is very varied but they were generally well made, though the mechanism can be a bit excentric. His instruments were so famous that he obtained a license from the king to make pianos for the french court. Erard wanted to explore the fundamentals of instrument making, and it soon became apparent that he was a genius at finding ways around mechanical problems, a skill which came to the attention of the abbe roussier.
The square piano, with strings parallel to the keys, was the most popular domestic piano until the early19thcentury perfection, in philadelphia, of the upright piano. The piano supplanted the harpsichord because the action of its hammers on the strings could create sounds both piano e fortesoft and loudhence the name pianoforte, eventually shortened to piano. New hammers arrived all prebored between 12 0 degree angles, bass hammer felt cut at an angle, and trivets fitted. Find all the books, read about the author, and more. A fascinating celebration of the piano, including tales of its masters from mozart and beethoven to oscar peterson and jerry lee lewis, told with the expertise of composer and author of temperament, stuart isacoff. Erard began building superior harpsichords in paris in the mid 1700s, and he built his first small square piano in about 1777. Erards inventions especially the double escapement for the piano and the doubleaction for the harp have had an enormous impact on instruments and musical life and are still at the foundation of piano and harp building today.
Our active research is aimed at antique british pianos, and anything else that turns up is a matter of luck, so we do not normally deal with modern pianos, player pianos, organs, harpsichords or clavichords, but we try not to discard any kind of piano information, and we have lots of general history in victorian books as well, so if you are researching victorian history, get in touch. A beautifully illustrated, totally engrossing celebration of the piano, and the composers and performers who have made it their own. Download for offline reading, highlight, bookmark or take notes while you read the history of the erard piano and harp in letters and documents. Insurance companies made special maps to show places with a high risk of fire, and piano factories were one of the worst, because of the huge quantities of timber and other inflammable. The success of his pianos led him to become the kings piano maker. In 17891790, erard numbers also resembled years, and around that time, southwells numbers, displayed on the front of the piano, were slightly. History of the instrument on 6 august 1803 the piano builder sebastien erard gave beethoven a grand piano as a present. Fires figure heavily in piano history, and when birdingbury hall burned down in 1859, one of the treasured possessions lined up on the lawn was a piano. Erards subsequent history is so complex and extensive that a full length book could not cover the topic completely. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading the piano tuner. In october 1886, edgar drake receives a strange request from the british war office. A comprehensive history of the development of the piano from the monochord to the concert grand player piano, volume 1.
Sebastien erard 17521831 invented both the double escapement for piano and the doubleaction pedal mechanism for harpand these innovations have remained central to. The war office hires the services of a piano tuner for 3 months, for a years pay. One of the most illustrious piano manufacturers of all time was sebastien erard of france. An insight into erard and his inventions fifteeneightyfour. The piano is an acoustic, stringed musical instrument invented in italy by bartolomeo cristofori around the year 1700 the exact year is uncertain, in which the strings are struck by wooden hammers that are coated with a softer material. But the action for which he is justly celebrated was developed and patented in england in 1821. Aug 30, 2017 we take a look at this long journey and evolution of the modern piano, starting with a pictorial timeline of the instrument ancestors of the pianoforte. The piano is an acoustic, stringed musical instrument invented in italy by bartolomeo cristofori around the year 1700 the exact year is uncertain, in which the strings are struck by hammers. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets.
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