Title: The World's Oldest Surviving Piano Sounds Better Than You'd Think Source:
Musical Toronto URL Source:http://www.musicaltoronto.org/2016/ ... an-haydn-mozart-and-beethoven/ Published:Dec 7, 2016 Author:Musical Toronto Post Date:2016-12-13 20:21:14 by X-15 Keywords:piano Views:347 Comments:19
While music is inherently ephemeral art form, preserved historical instruments provide a tangible link to our musical past. But pianos are delicate creatures, and unlike violins, violas, and cellos, they get actually worse with age, not better.
So when we find a video featuring a performance on a piano nearly 300 years old, the oldest known in existence today, it is a very special treat. And what makes it all the more extraordinary is just how good it sounds.
This priceless instrument was made in 1720 by the inventor of the piano, Bartolomeo Cristofori (1655-1731). The video features pianist Dongsok Shin performing one of the first pieces ever written for the piano — a Sonata composed in 1732 from the 12 Sonate da cimbalo di piano e forte detto volgarmente di martelletti, Op. 1, by Lodovico Giustini (1685-1743).
The early fortepiano is part of the collections at Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York and is the oldest of three surviving Cristofori pianos.
The case gives off the resonance of a harpsichord, but there's a dynamic range enabled through the use of Crisofori's escapement action that's not possible with older instruments like the harpsicord or clavicord.
The case gives off the resonance of a harpsichord, but there's a dynamic range enabled through the use of Crisofori's escapement action that's not possible with older instruments like the harpsicord or clavicord.
What's more impressive is that this instrument tunes up to over a half ton of string tension. (Around 100 string at 12-15 lbs. each.) It's amazing that it's held up for over 300 years.