We learned that Austrian piano manufacturer Ignaz Bösendorfer established the Bosendorfer series in 1828.The standard piano has 88 keys but this one has up to 92 or even up to 97! The extra keys placed on the very left end is usually hid under a lid that a player can just open up. This is to prevent 'confusion' on the part of the player during fast pieces.
The addition of extra keys is said to add to the body of sound when all the keys vibrate during the performance. Bosendorfers are also created not in the usual way as ordinary pianos .There is this one place in Austria where manufacturers harvest and plant the trees that are made for the body of the instrument. I first became familiar with this upon collecting the albums of Tori Amos. I heard they now made her into a spokes person for the brand. Hmmm..very interesting.
The thing about the sound is that it is so ethereal and distinctive. I read that that it is how they made the partitions inside with all the mechanisms being placed together. The piano is made to project the sound especially in higher registers instead of absorbing it. That's why we get these light tinkling notes that are close to a sound made by strings instead of percussions.Chopin recordings are also done in Bosendorfer .
No comments:
Post a Comment