Antique Upright Piano

"In the period lasting from about 1790 to 1860, the Mozart-era piano underwent tremendous changes that led to the modern form
of the instrument. This revolution was in response to a consistent preference by composers and pianists for a more powerful, sustained
piano sound, and made possible by the ongoing Industrial Revolution with technological resources such as high-quality steel, called
piano wire, for strings, and precision casting for the production of iron frames. Over time, the tonal range of the piano was also
increased from the five octaves of Mozart's day to the 7? or more octaves found on modern pianos.

Some early pianos had shapes and designs that are no longer in use. The square piano had horizontal strings arranged diagonally
across the rectangular case above the hammers and with the keyboard set in the long side. This design is attributed to Gottfried
Silbermann or Christian Ernst Friderici on the continent, and Johannes Zumpe or Harman Vietor in England and it was improved by
changes first introduced by Guillaume-Lebrecht Petzold in France and Alpheus Babcock in the United States. Square pianos were
built in great numbers through the
1840s in Europe and the 1890s in America, and saw the most visible changes of any type of
piano: the celebrated iron framed over strung squares manufactured by Steinway & Sons were more than two and a half times
the size of Zumpe's wood framed instruments from a century before. Their overwhelming popularity was due to inexpensive
construction and price, although their performance and tone were often limited by simple actions and closely spaced strings.

The tall, vertically strung upright grand was arranged like a grand set on end, with the soundboard and bridges above the keys, and
tuning pins below them. The term was later revived by many manufacturers for advertising purposes. Giraffe, pyramid and lyre pianos
were arranged in a somewhat similar fashion in evocatively shaped cases.

The very tall cabinet piano was introduced about 1805 and was built through the 1840s. It had strings arranged vertically on a
continuous frame with bridges extended nearly to the floor, behind the keyboard and very large sticker action. The short cottage
upright or pianino with vertical stringing, made popular by Robert Wornum around 1815, was built into the 20th century. They are
informally called birdcage pianos because of their prominent damper mechanism. Pianinos were distinguished from the oblique, or
diagonally strung upright made popular in France by Roller & Blanchet during the late 1820s. The tiny spinet upright was
manufactured from the mid-1930s until recent times. The low position of the hammers required the use of a "drop action" to
preserve a reasonable keyboard height.

Modern upright and grand pianos attained their present forms by the end of the 19th century. Improvements have been made in
manufacturing processes, and many individual details of the instrument continue to receive attention."


This information found:

Wikipedia Encylopedia



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