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Pianos and More Pianos


I have been a piano tuner and an amateur classical pianist and music lover for many years, so I hope I'm not talking through my hat.

I was of two minds but perhaps one heart when hearing the piano music in this film.
Most of the pieces were done by Emmanuel Ax on a modern 7 or 9 foot grand, probably an American Steinway, and in a hall of possibly not too large a size, maybe a recording studio. However, the pianos shown were of the period mostly, and in smaller chambers, although one large one early on had a bent rim, which I thought came later.
The cast iron plate was OK to see with that one though, since it was invented in the 1820s by one Alpheus Babcock, in Boston, I think.

Most of the pianos later in the film, like at the D'Antans, were early 19th century, one looking like maybe a Broadwood, maybe the others were Erards, or like Erards.

Well, they all never sounded like Mr. Ax on a new Steinway, and this was a little distracting. One of them, with Chopin and/or Liszt playing on it, and later in the film, did sound like itself.

Well, after all, it may have been distracting a bit, but oh such playing. Well worth the historical fiddle. I guess what happened to me was when the pieces were playing, it was so mesmerizing, I lost track of the film.

None of us can know completely accurately how these people played at that time. Any devoted musicologist can perhaps come up with enough written descriptions to form a musical image of that.

I have been a maverick about much of today's ideas of performance style.
Witold Malcuzynski, that old Polish wizard, does it for me. Lots of Poland and a less dainty head trip.

But, Mr. Ax comes very close to pleasing my aging and possibly jaded musical palate, certainly enough to send me to that somewhere in the sky.

Now, if any wish to poke holes in any of this, my best wishes, and please feel free to do so. It is only the rantings of an old romantic who has always loved pianos so.


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I can tell you that the princess having the piano lesson and butchering some Chopin piece is playing on period piano live. The Chopin/Liszt duet is definitely not live or played on a period piano. I've heard 19th century music played on the appropriate pianos of the period and believe me we're better off with Steinways! Chopin would have wanted one too - don't think Pleyel ever came up to that standard.

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Generally we are much better off with modern Steinways, but sometimes they are so perfect they can be a bit cool and aloof. Other Steinways will take hold of your heart and never let go. 6'4" Model A Steinways are usually that good.

But then there was an 1880s or 90s Krakauer grand once......
It was in bad shape, but it was so redolent of the Old World.
Transported me to (insert Old World city here).
This was made by piano makers in a piano maker's shop, not in a factory.

Chopin was writing music for a piano he dreamed of.
Piano makers listened to music like that and designed pianos that would take the music further, and so it went, each leapfrogging the other for about the whole 19th century.

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That's so fascinating, thanks! I love the idea that Chopin was listening to his own playing on some perfect instrument yet to be born.

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Chopin was writing music for a piano he dreamed of.
Piano makers listened to music like that and designed pianos that would take the music further, and so it went, each leapfrogging the other for about the whole 19th century.


As a fellow musician, I absolutely love how you put this. In modern terms, one would transpose this as saying that The Beatles recorded music for the equipment they dreamed of. Chopin was a master, and I definitely believe that he would have loved playing his works on a modern piano. I suddenly want to turn the lights off, pour some wine, and put Chopin in the CD player (my own piano skills have dilapidated, and I was never good enough to play Chopin).

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I understand completely what you are saying.

But very few people would notice the difference between the instruments on the screen and the soundtrack they're listening to.

In fact, I think if they did use period instruments recorded live in those rooms it would be more of a distraction. People expect to hear what they're familiar with and very few people are familiar with period instruments.

I'm also wondering if they would be able to find any playable instruments or even be allowed to play period instruments. 200 years old may not be much for a violin but these were very early pianos.

I actually visited the Liberace Museum in Las Vegas before it was closed and saw the Liszt piano.

But I understand what you're saying. Sorta like a person with perfect pitch having to listen to a piece a whole step down because the instrument can't be tuned true any more. My parents had a piano like that. Took years before the tuner could finally bring it up to pitch. I think he came out every year or two for a decade to work on that piano. Luckily none of us had perfect pitch. Not sure how old it was but I doubt it was 100 years old. It did have ebony and ivory keys, though.

I've seen some absolutely beautiful instruments in museums but I doubt any of them were allowed to be played. They certainly would not allow them to be moved to a recording studio or sound stage.

If reproductions were built for the film they couldn't be played anyway as likely they were just for show.

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Welcome to watching almost every ballet film that is not a documentary or docudrama.

I am accustomed to hearing Chopin on studio pianos. Most dance studios are the last address for pianos; after churches, university practice rooms, and the homes of children who showed no promise. Of course I can't be certain, but I've seen history arrive in bench content. ;D

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DanceAnitra, your observation about ballet studio pianos is interesting. And yes, just about every ballet film ever made, with the exception of documentaries (and even some of those) is completely at odds with what every ballet dancer and former dancer knows. They make us cringe, and I imagine the same can be said for music films and the way they seem to musicians. In either case, the public that is untrained in either dance or music doesn't know any better.

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