Piano Tales: History of the early piano #1: Introduction and Shudi Harpsichord 1744

Summary

Edwin Bunk, a piano restorer and collector since 1981, explores the rich history and evolution of keyboard instruments in this documentary. He delves into the development of the piano, from its origins with harpsichords to the rise of more powerful pianos during the Romantic period. Through hands-on restoration work, Bunk demonstrates how musical tastes and societal changes influenced instrument design. The film also highlights the challenges of restoring historical instruments, emphasizing the importance of using authentic materials to preserve their true essence.

Takeaways

• 😀 Edwin Bunk is a piano restorer and collector with over four decades of experience in restoring pianos, dating back to 1981.
• 🎹 He and his colleagues have restored many forte pianos, gaining insights into their historical significance and sound qualities.
• 🎶 The primary goal of the film series is to highlight how the evolution of musical instruments mirrors changes in musical styles and society.
• 🏛️ During the 18th century, music was typically performed in small venues, but the rise of the middle class around 1800 led to larger concert halls and louder instruments.
• 🔨 The shift from the classical to the romantic period saw pianos being built with thicker soundboards, stronger strings, and bigger hammers to produce more volume and sustain.
• 🔧 The increase in tension in pianos required reinforced cases, including iron reinforcements, to prevent damage.
• 📜 Despite significant advancements in piano construction, many features of the modern piano were already in place before 1900.
• 🎼 The series will also feature performances on historical instruments that composers like Haydn and Mozart would have used.
• 🎤 The first episode of the series focuses on the harpsichord, the piano's predecessor, which was the ideal keyboard instrument in the 16th to 18th centuries.
• 🛠️ Harpsichords function differently from pianos—each key on a harpsichord has a jack with a plectrum that plucks the strings, providing no dynamic range, unlike the hammer mechanism of pianos.
• 🔄 Historical instruments, like the 1744 Shoot’s harpsichord featured in the film, were often improperly restored in the 1960s and 1970s with incorrect materials, leading to damage, but later efforts emphasized authentic restoration practices.

Q & A

What is the main focus of Edwin Bunk's work as a restorer and collector?

Edwin Bunk focuses on the restoration and collection of historical pianos, particularly those from the 18th and 19th centuries. He has been working in this field since 1981, with a goal to demonstrate how the evolution of pianos aligns with musical and societal changes over time.

What is the primary objective of the series of films mentioned in the script?

The objective of the series of films is to showcase the history of pianos and their development over time. Edwin Bunk aims to highlight how different musical periods influenced the design and construction of pianos, emphasizing the instruments used by famous composers.

Why were some pianos, like the forte pianos, mistakenly considered inferior in the past?

Forte pianos were once seen as inferior because their sound was perceived as clunky and not as rich or refined as modern pianos. However, Edwin Bunk challenges this view, stating that every era had its own excellent instruments, and builders were highly skilled in their craft.

How did societal changes around the year 1800 influence the design of pianos?

Around 1800, the rise of the middle class and increased public interest in music led to larger concert halls and a demand for louder instruments. This change prompted piano builders to create instruments that could produce more volume, resulting in thicker soundboards, heavier strings, and reinforced cases.

What major change occurred in piano design at the beginning of the Romantic period?

At the beginning of the Romantic period, there was a shift towards creating pianos that could 'sing' with a longer tonal duration. This was achieved by making the soundboard thicker, which required thicker strings and larger hammers, significantly increasing the tension within the instrument.

What makes the modern piano different from its predecessors, according to Edwin Bunk?

Edwin Bunk explains that the modern piano, though recognizable today, already had most of its current features in place before 1900. Key advancements included improvements in the structural reinforcements, such as the use of iron in the frame to handle the increased tension caused by thicker strings and soundboards.

What is the role of the harpsichord in the history of keyboard instruments?

The harpsichord was the dominant keyboard instrument from the 16th to 18th centuries, especially for playing music from those periods. It serves as the predecessor to the piano, with unique mechanics that distinguish it from later keyboard instruments like the fortepiano and modern pianos.

How does a harpsichord produce sound compared to a piano?

A harpsichord produces sound through a mechanism in which a small plectrum plucks the strings when a key is pressed. Unlike a piano, where the strings are struck by hammers, the harpsichord has limited dynamic range, with volume variations achieved by changing registers rather than varying key pressure.

What is the significance of the 1744 harpsichord in the script?

The 1744 harpsichord featured in the script is a significant historical instrument made by the famous London maker, Shudi. Edwin Bunk speculates that composers like Handel might have played this very instrument, emphasizing its historical importance and the connection to key figures of that time.

What mistakes were made in the restoration of historical instruments in the 20th century?

In the 20th century, particularly during the 1960s, restorations of historical instruments were often done with inappropriate materials like modern glues, wrong woods, and screws. These mistakes caused many instruments to be damaged or ruined, which led to a shift towards more historically accurate restoration practices in the 1980s.