Description
similar to Clinkscale II. p121. Serial no. 15181
Restorer: Emanuel Rey, Sydney, NSW, Australia
Nameboard: ? mahogany ? rosewood crossbonding and brass stringing, with abstract quasi-Regency decorations either side of a framed “label” incribed “PAR BREVET DÍNVENTION?Erard/o’ Paris”, incised in brass directly into the nameboard
Number: 15035 inked on soundboard between braces 1 and 2
Compass: 6-1/2 octaves CC – g4, 80 notes
Keyboard: single unreversed manual
Keyboard materials : ivory naturals, ebony sharps
Pitch: A 415 Hz
Tuning: equal tempered
Action: Erard patent (1821) double escapement English grand action
Hammer covering: felt
Bridge: divided C# – D
Strings: bass bridge: CC – EE (5 notes) unichord, copper overspun iron
FF – C# (9 notes) bichord, copper overspun iron
treble bridge: D – g4 (66 notes) trichord iron
Agraffes: (54 notes) CC – f2
Capotasto bar: (26 notes) f#2 – g4
Dampers: felt underdampers: (60 notes) CC – b2
Frame: timber with metal string plate, brass cover to wrestplank and six iron reinforcing braces, bronze transverse H???? treble reinforcing bar joiningnbraces 4 – 6
Pedals: L; una corda. R; damper lift on timber lyre ? unoriginal
Case: dark stained crosscut “plum pudding” mahogany
Case lid: “pulmpudding” mahogany as for case, combined convex-concave keybaord lid and fallboard as per case
Music desk: missing
Dimensions(mm): 2410l x 1290w x 340d (ex lid)
Legs: three tapering hexagonal legs, C??? capitals and feet with casters
Repertoire: early Liszt
Provenance: from William Bardshaw, Sydney, N.S.W, 1992
Description
Grands by Erard, who had factories in both Paris and London (the Collection also contains a Paris Erard square of 1814 and a London Erard concert grand fortepiano of 1861), were preferred by Liszt from his first public concerts in Paris in 1824 to at least 1870; Wagner and Verdi both composed on Erard instruments. Erard was a great innovator: by 1809 he had invented the agraffe and capotasto bar, strengthening devices giving downward bearing on the strings, and in 1821 he patented probably the greatest technical advance in the history of the piano, the double escapement grand action, making rapid key repetition reliable for the first time; all modern grand actions are derived from this.
Leave a comment