II. - MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS.
THE PIANOFORTE.
The spread of musical taste, and the progress of the art in general, has been owing so much to the extended use o f hte pianoforte, that it becomes a mattter of much interest to inquire into its past history and present utility. No house now, from the nobleman's mansion down to the six-roomed box of the prosperous shopkeeper, is deemed furnished without one, at least, of these instruments ; and the performance upon them is thought so essential to female education, that no young lady, however otherwise informes, is supposed to have beem properly educated if pplaying the poianoforte is not found amongst the first of her accomplishments.
It would be beside our purpose to inquire whether the general requirement of a knowledge and power over this instrument from those who are to become the mothers and teachers of a future generation is a mark of hte good sense of the presenet one. We may observe, however, that a womman is, from her destiny and position, allotted to pass the greater portion of her time in the quiet retirement of home. Hence the necesstiy of providing graceful relaxation and elevating and refining accomplishments for her, and making them not only sources of amusement, but the very elements of her thinkings, and fondest pleasures of her existence. A love of flowers, a love of rural enjoyment, a love of poetry, of painting, and of music, have long been encouraged in the softer sex ; and those who have cultivated these resources have usually been most felicitous in after life ; in the charm of solacing the companions of their existence after the dull fatigues of business, and brightening their homes with a light that made their return to them be looked to as the reward and blessing for weary hours of care and toil. Hence an instrument such as the pianoforte, which is so comprehensive in its capabilities, so varied in its expression, and so powerful in its combinations, that the simplest melody and most complicated harmony can be equally drawn from it, - an instrument that demands so much practice that it provides daily employement for hours during the years of youth, and when the difficulties of its manipulation are conquered, becomes a comforter and resource ever after, - hence, we say, is the knowledge of such an instrument wisely made an important portion of female education.
As we have often heard it asserted that it was not worth the labour required for proficiency on this instrument, we shall pause to inquire what are its resources, and what does it offer in return for the assiduity of years? At the present time the pianoforte has a compass of six, six and a quarter, six and three quarters. and seven octaves. Those in the Exhibition were of the largest extent of compass for modern requirements, and even beyond them. A keyboard of such vast range affords to the performer numerous facilities, a few of which we shall enumerate. As our readers must be acquainted with the tone of the pianoforte, its fulness and softness, its obedience to the finger for lights and shades of sound, its masterly arrangement for the expression of forzando, its liquidity in scale and figurative passages, and its capability for sustaining a melody in the centre, accompanied by the most brilliant arpeggios at either end - it is only necessary to glance at these qualifications. But its larger and comprehensive powers for the advancement of musical knowledge, and expression of musical ideas, can scarcely be over-estimated. It stands alone as a chamber instrument, from which can be produced all the combinations of harmony reqired to convey an adequate notion of the writings of the great masters ; nay, we may almost say, a just interpretation of their mighty creations. Take the fugues of Bach ; the lessons of Scarlatti ; the concertos of Correlli ; the oratorios of Handel, Haydn, and Mendelssohn ; the symphonies of Mozart and Beethoven ; the operas of Weber, Rossini, Bellini, Donizetti, and Meyerbeer : - let any who have studied the pianoforte take these authors to the instrument - varied as they are in character, modes, and genius - and they will be enabled to convey to themselves and their hearers a just idea of the vast conceptions and unfading beauty of these composers. No other instrument affords the student the same power as the piano of becoming acquainted with these great works. No other instrument - save the organ, and that is not a household one - will give a melody amidst the most skilful and intricate harmonies, allowing the ear to trace it distinctly as if played by another hand. This attribute of pianoforte Mendelssohn has exhibited exquisitely in his Lieder ohne Worte, drawing out its vocal witchery, and making it interpret intelligibly phrases precious with musical charms. Then, for the rendering of choral works, its formation for simultaneously playing chords combining ten notes - or while one hand gives the harmony in mass, the other varies it in appropriate figures - makes it an instrument unsurpassed both for student and composer.
It is worthy of remark, that all our great composers were pianoforte players, or performers on the instruments out of which it has grown in the progress of years, namely, the clavichord and harpsichord. Those who devoted themselves to other instrument, such as the violin, violincello, flute, oboe, &c., though they have become so distinguished in their lines as to gain even European reputations, have left nought behind them to perpetuate their fame, and to instruct posterity in musical art. The pianoforte is the first instrument upon which the glorious efforts of the great modern composers have been tried ; and it is the one for which all the effects have been gathered from the score both vocal and orchestral , and combined as a whole to convey a proper idea of their works to future generationss. This, we think, will sufficiently prove the importance of the pianoforte in the advancement of musical education. Then for social purposes, as the solacer of may a weary hour, the banisher of ennui, the cause of graceful emulation amongst the young and innocent, the addition to the joy of those who meet for enjoyment, the piano stands deservedly high :- for what would the youthful group, who meet for song and dance, and their attendants, smiles and laughter, do without the pianoforte? while the elders look on and listen, and are proud of the musical displays which are a continually recurring reward for their care, attention , and parental love. Then as an accompaniment for the voice, either in solos or concerted pieces, it stands alone ; and we have remarked that where this species of music is cultivated in a family the members are more united, and less prone than others to look for out-of-home amusements. This, we think, not only stamps its utility, but demands the attention of all interested in teh education of the young, and the encouragement of home affections. To its uses at those times when the family circle are assembled to return thanks and sing praises to the Giver of all good, as well as on that day specially set apart for His worship, it is almost needless to allude, as they must be obvious even to the most unthinking.
The invention of the pianoforte has been attributed to Mason, the poet, and is said to be purely English ; but we are inclined to think this apocryphal, the presumption being, that it had its origin from the harpsichord. In the latter the action consisted of a key and what is called a jack, which was a piece of a pear-tree with a small movable tongue of holly, through which a cutting of crow-quill was passed to touch the string when the jack was in action. As the quilling of a harpsichord was generally a day's work, various means were tried to produce a softer tone with more durable materials ; and that resulted in teh present grand pianoforte, which is a harpsichord in shape, with a different action. The action at first was simply a key, a lifter, a hammer, and a damper. The lifter was a brass wire with a piece of hide leather as a head, covered with a piece of soft leather as a finish - the tone must have been very thin and wiry, the hammer being only covered with one slight piece of leather. The first instrument sent to England, about the year 1711 was made by an English monk at Rome, and presented to Samuel Crisp, the author of the tragedy of Virginia. Another authority attributed the invention to Schroeder, of Dresden, who, in the year 1717, presented a model of the invention to the court of Saxony. The invention has also been ascribed to an instrument-maker at Florence, in the year 1711, of which there is a description in the "Giornale d'Italia" of that period. The origin of the square pianoforte was evidently the clavichord. This instrument was both struck and pressed, and the pressure could be so varied so as to produce a trembling sound. The tones were feeble and melancholy, and it was only suited for the student and composer, not for social purposes or public display. Yet, it was upon one of these instruments that the elder Bach performed and composed his wonders, and it was the solace of the nun in her cell, and the companion of the prince in his study. It expressed quarter tones, was very portable, and was so weak in sound, that it would not disturb the inmates of an adjoining apartment. Such was the source whence sprung the instrumetns now to be found in every house around us. A German, named Zumpie, made these pianofortes in London, in 1776, and from their low price, convenience, and form, as well as power of expression, they entirely superseded the clavichord and harpsichord, and there was scarecly a house in the kingdom that did not possess one of them. Since then improvement has followed improvement, until they were brought to a very high state of perfection by Muzio Clementi, who was justly styled "the father of the pianoforte," as a composer for, a performer upon, and a skilful improver of the instrument. He has been ably followed in his experiments by the houses of Broadwood, Erard, Collard, Cadby, and Kirkman, till a mechanical certainty of touch has been attained, and a beauty of tone arrived at, while the whole machinery is so obedient to the will of the performer, that the slightest shades of feeling can be expressed with the utmost precision in boldness and rapidity. The improvements by thich these have been accomplished are the results of a series of experiments and ingenious contrivances, adjusted so as to command to a mathematical certainty the end sought for. Good specimens of the workmanship of these manufacturers were to be seen in the Exhibition. A short grand piano, by Cadby, with a suspended sounding-board, is so ingeniously designed and adapted to the purpose, and so successful in its development, namely, liquidity, richness, and purity of tone - independent of the application being quite new - that it deserves special mention ; also the iron truss applied to the back of the cottage pianoforte, in order to compensate for the immense pull of the strings on the fromnt, by the same maker, is a contrivance the merits of which must be obvious even to a superficial inspector. The British pianofortes are first of their class. There are also some fair instruments from Belgium, but not equal to the English, who, we may safely say, surpass all other countries in the manufacture of this most comprehensive of musical insrtuments. We should not omit to mention, that among these instruments was a piano made by the late Mr. McCulloch, of Belfast, who attained some eminence as a manufacturer ; having on several occasions been awarded premiums at the Triennial Exhibitions of the Royal Dublin Society. Since his death pianos are not made in Ireland. [Henry Toole]
1. ALLISON, R., Wardour-street, London, Manufacturer and Proprietor (exhibited by J. Scates, 26, College-green, Dublin.) - Bichord grand pianoforte in rosewood ; microchordon pianofortes of rosewood and walnut.
14. BUSSELL, H., Westmoreland-street, Dublin. - Pianofortes, harps, music, military musical instruments.
15. CADBY, C. Licquorpond-street, London, Inventor and Manufacturer. - A rosewood semi-grand pianoforte, with royal patent, suspended, and adjustable sounding-board ; an elegant rosewood oblique pianoforte, with three strings ; handsomely carved case ; two pianoforte backs, one with ordinary bracing, the other with patent iron truss bracing ; a model to explain the latter, shoing its superiority over the former.
16. CALDWELL, S. M., Mountjoy-square, Dublin. Proprietor. - Carved ebony piccoly pianoforte, manufactured by the late John McCulloch, Belfast.
59. KIRKMAN, J. & SONS, London, Inventors and Manufacturers (Mackintosh & Co., Rutland-square, Dublin, Exhibitors). - Pianofortes of various styles and descriptions.
70. METZLER, G., Great Marlborough-street, London, Manufacturer (MARCUS MOSES, Westmoreland-street, Exhibiter). - Cottage and microchordon pianofortes ; an oak harmonium, with patent percussion and harmoniphone attachment.
74. MOSES, MARCUS, Westmoreland-street, Dublin, Importer. - Specimens of pianofortes and harps, of different classes, and in various woods, manufactured to order, expressly for the Exhibition, by Broadwood and Sons, Colard and Collard, and S. & P. Erard.
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13. MATHIESON, ALEXANDER, & SON, Saracen's-lane, Glasgow, Manufacturers. - Bench planes in boxwood ; fillister planes in ebony ; plows with steel bridles and side screws ; assortment of various kinds of planes ; screw augers ; brace screw bits ; turning chisels and gouges ; improved holdfast ; pianoforte key maker's tools ; braces handsomely mounted ; fancy turning toolsssss ; hammers ; with numerous other tools.