The piano-forte : its history traced to the Great Exhibition of 1851
Author(s)
Bibliographic Information
The piano-forte : its history traced to the Great Exhibition of 1851
Cambridge University Press, 2014, c1933
- : pbk
Available at 2 libraries
Note
"First published 1933. First paperback edition 2014"--T.p. verso
Includes bibliographical references and index
Description and Table of Contents
Description
Originally published in 1933, this book provides a detailed history of the piano-forte from its invention in Italy in the eighteenth century until the presentation of the first European cast-iron frame for a piano at the 1851 Great Exhibition. Harding also analyses the role of the piano as a replacement for a chamber orchestra and its history as a domestic instrument. The text is richly illustrated with images of pianos produced by a variety of makers over time, as well as with images of piano machinery taken from patent registrations. This thoroughly-researched book will be of value to anyone with an interest in one of the most ubiquitous instruments in the Western world and the history of its development.
Table of Contents
- Preface
- List of plates
- List of abbreviations
- Part I. The Pianoforte in the Eighteenth Century: 1. The invention of the pianoforte in Italy
- 2. The invention of the pianoforte in France
- 3. The invention and development of the pianoforte in Germany
- 4. The tangent action and the cembalo stop
- 5. The pianoforte in England
- 6. Later developments in France
- 7. The pianoforte in America
- 8. The musical significance of the new instrument
- Part II. The Pianoforte in the Nineteenth Century
- Section 1. The Pianoforte as a Chamber Orchestra: 1. The pianoforte as a chamber orchestra
- 2. Devices for the purpose of sustaining the tone
- 3. Octave couplers and 'Duoclave' pianofortes
- 4. The influence of programme music upon the pianoforte
- 5. The influence of Turkish music upon the pianoforte
- 6. Turkish music and other pedals
- Section 2. The Pianoforte as a Solo Instrument in the Early Nineteenth Century: 1. The concert grand pianoforte
- 2. Some improvements in the construction of the pianoforte relating to the production of a loud and sonorous tone
- 3. The metal frame
- 4. Pitch and temperament
- Section 3. The Pianoforte as a Domestic Instrument: 1. The upright pianoforte
- 2. Some other types of pianofortes in the home
- 3. Pedal, transposing and self-acting pianofortes, experimental keyboards
- 4. Tuning the pianoforte and apparatus for keeping the pianoforte in tune
- Appendix A. Technical terms
- Appendix B. Bibliography
- Appendix C. List of patents
- Appendix D. Concerning wire
- Appendix E. Felt-making
- tinder and sponge for hammer heads
- process of tanning leather for hammer heads
- Appendix F. Prices of pianofortes and of materials used in their manufacture
- Appendix G. Select list of English pianoforte makers in London and its environs up to the year 1851
- Appendix H. A note on pedal signs
- Index.
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