Piano Museum Where You Can Play the Instruments!

Hi, I'm Robert Estrin and I'm here in Hunter, New York in the Catskill Mountains at the Piano Performance Museum. Wait till you see what's in store for you here.

I'm in the Piano Performance Museum here in Hunter, New York in the Catskill Mountains and what a collection of instruments, starting with the harpsichord, going through music history to the modern piano.

And many people have no idea of how many different instruments were created along the line to come to the modern piano, which we know and love today. And this is a place you can actually come in, not only see and touch, you can play these instruments and feel what they're like and hear the music history from the beginning, from the harpsichord through to the modern piano, pianos from Chopin's era, from Mozart's era. It's absolutely fascinating. I'm having a blast here. It turns out my aunt left her interesting collection of miniature pianos with this showcase here. Unbelievable collection, my Diane Estrin. And I didn't even know until I came here that this was the case. And they're fascinating instruments from big to small, from old to newer. So I'm going to start off and play a little bit on a French model. This is a French model, Tuscan harpsichord, three rank, very similar to my harpsichord, as a matter of fact. So I'm right at home here. So this is the two manual French model, Tuscan harpsichord. Listen to the vibrant tone.

Now you can also get a more delicate tonalities out of this instrument.

But there is no touch sensitivity. You can't get louder and softer. For that, we have to move on to one of the examples of the earliest piano. This is a replica of a Stein forte piano, which again is almost exactly the same as my forte piano, which is also a Stein, which now my nephew, Sean Cleve has in Madison, Wisconsin. He also does continuo on harpsichord.

And listen to the sound of this, of what Mozart, when Mozart was playing his music, it sounded more like this to Mozart, because this is the sort of piano he had.

A very, very bright kind of punctuated sound that works so well for his music, because it was conceived that way, wasn't it? Now here's an instrument very few people have ever had an opportunity to play. And this is a clavichord, which is Bach's favorite keyboard instrument.

Because of the expressiveness, it's such a delicate, quiet tone that it really was not used in performance, because it just couldn't carry for anybody else to hear it. But the secret is, because the strings, you're in contact with the strings, so you can actually impart vibrato.

Something you can't even do on a modern piano. It's amazing, the technologies on and on.

Now, this is a piano, you know, Muzio Clemente, you all know Clemente from his famous Sonatinas.

Did you know that Clemente also bought a piano company, and this is a piano that came from Clemente's factory. And so, to listen to what Clemente sounded like on literally his piano, these are authentic instruments here, not replications.

Isn't that delightful? That's the way this music was conceived to begin with.

And we move through history. Look at all of these spectacular instruments.

These are square grands, which are a footnote of history, of the piano history. But they all have interesting sounds, culminating in one of the early Steinway square grands, which were abandoned after the more modern piano design took over. But listen to this. This is a genuine Steinway from 1865.

Little bit of Mozart for you on this magnificent piece of music history here. And some extraordinary pianos coming to the more modern pianos. Now we're going to change gears a little bit. Here's an 1873 Arrard. This was Chopin's favorite piano.

And Chopin never really played a fully modern piano, but very, very close. And listen to what Chopin sounds like on a piano Chopin could have played, or a piano like that which Chopin could have played.

I want you to notice how it's straight strung, so it doesn't have the cross string like on modern pianos.

All of these instruments are authentic instruments that give you a taste of the evolution of the piano. The piano didn't just come about all on its own. It took many, many generations of composers and instrument builders. I just thought I'd leave you with some interesting, something you've probably never seen before. I know I've never seen anything like this. Look at this upright from 1814. Look at this glorious instrument.

It's a Broadwood.

So I'm having a blast here at the Piano Performance Center here in Hunter, New York. I'm Robert Estrin. This is LivingPianos.com. Thanks so much for joining me.

Bye.

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