On sitting at the Piano-forte
1. The Pupil must sit opposite to the middle of the key-board, at a distance of from 6 to 10 inches, according to his stature, and the length of his arms ; so that thet right hand may conveniently reach the highest, and the left hand the lowest keys, without altering the position of the body.
2. The seat must neither be too high nor too low, and such that both hands my rest on the keys, naturally and without effort. Children should have their feet supported, that their seat may be seteady and secure.
On holding the Body, the Arms, the Hands, and the Fingers
From the outset, particular attention must be directed to these points, since any negligence on this head, drags in its train the most disadvantageous results, such indeed as are scarcely to be amended at a future period ; and facility, gracefulness, neatness, expression, and strength of performance will thereby suffer materially.
1. The body must be held upright, neither bending forwards nor sideways, and the elbows rather turned, towards the body, yet without pressing against it.
2. The muscles of the arms and hands must act without any stiffness, and with so much force only, as is necessary to move the hands and fingers without languor.
3. The hands must be held in a somewhat rounded position, and tuned rather outwards, like the feet, yet freely and without effort ; by this means the employment of the thumb on the black keys will be much facilitated. Their position must not be either higher or lower than is necessary to bend the finger-joints, so as to strike the keys with the middle of the tips of the fingers, and so that the thumb may form a horizontal line with the little finger on the key-board.
Extending the fingers flat on the keys, and, as it were, boring into them, by letting the hands hand downwards are altogether faulty positions, and give rise to a lame and heavy manner of playing.
4. Excepting in extensions, the fingers must neither stand too far apart nor be drawn too close together ; each finger should lie naturally over its proper key. They ought not likewise to rest longer on the keys than the prescribed time, as a habit of so doing greatly diminishes the clearness of the performance.
The thumb touches lightly the surface of the keys with the edge of its top joint. As it is the shortest of the fingers, the pupil must accustom himself to hold it somewhat bent and inclining towards the first finger, that it may always be ready to pass under the fingers ; but it must not be pressed against the other fingers, nor be allowed to drop below the keys.
In general, to attain the necessary facility, steadiness, and certainty in playing, we must avoid every violent movement of the elbows and hands ; and the muscles must not be exerted, beyond what a free and quiet position of the hand requires. The quickness of motion lies only in the joints of the fingers, which should move with lightness and freedom, and not be lifted up too high from the keys.
5. The touch, or mode of striking the key, must be decisive and equal ; all pressure and thumping are to be avoided ; neither hands nor fingers should change their naturally bent position ; and the keys must be struck rather forwards than backwards on the key-board, that the tone may be more powerful, and the passages delivered with more roundness and finish.
6. Lastly, unbecoming habits should be carefully avoided, as : holding the face too near the book, biting the lips, nodding the head to mark the time, opening or distorting the mouth, &c. &c. as they are prejudicial to the health, and contrary to gracefulness of demeanour.
On the use of the Pedals
1. A performance with the dampers almost constantly raised, resorted to by way of a cloak to an impure and indistinct method of playing, has become so much the fashion, that many players would no longer be recognised, if they were debarred the use of Pedals.
2. Though a truly great Artist has no occasion for Pedals to work upon his audience by expression and power, yet the use of the damper-pedal, combined occasionally with the piano-pedal (as it is termed), has an agreeable effect in many passages, its employment however is rather to be recommended in slow than in quick movements, and only where the harmony changes at distant intervals : all other Pedals are useless, and of no value either to the performer or to the instrument.
3. Let the pupil never employ the Pedals before he can play a piece correctly and intelligibly. Indeed, generally speaking, every player should indulge in the use of them with the utmost moderation ; for it is an erroneous supposition that a passage, correctly and beatifully executed without pedals, and of which every note is clearly understood, will please the hearer less, than a mere confusion of sounds, arising from a series of notes clashing one against another.
Only ears accustomed to this, can applaud such an abuse ; sensible men will no doubt give their sanction to my opinion. Neither Mozart, nor Clementi, required these helps to obtain the highly-deserved reputation of the greatest, and most expressive performers of their days. A demonstration that, without having recourse to such worthless means, a player may arrive at the most honourable rank. [...]
On the Touch Proper to Different Piano-Fortes of German or English Construction
1. As I have often remarked that the best players are embarassed by any unusual variation in the mechanism or touch of the instrument - by this I do not merely understand a somewhat shorter and a stiffer touch ; for every player should possess thus much power over the instrument - I consider that it will not be amiss to say a few words on this subject.
2. Piano-fortes, generally speaking, are constructed on two different plans, the German or Vienna, as it is termed, and the English; the former is played upon with great facility as to touch, the latter with considerably less ease. Other modes of construction are compounded of these two, or are merely partial variations upon one or other of them.
3. It canot be denied but that each of these mechanisms has its peculiar advantages. The German piano may be played upon with ease by the weakest hand. It allows the performer to impart to his execution every possible degree of light and shade, speaks clearly and promptly, has a round fluty tone, which in a large room contrasts well with the accompanying orchestra, and does not impede rapidity of execution by requiring too great an effect. (It is self evident that we speak here only of the instruments of the most celebrated Vienna and German makers.) These instruments are likewise durable, and cost but half the price of the English piano-forte.
4. To the English construction however, we must not refuse the praises due on the score of its durability and fullness of tone. Nevertheless this instrument does not admit of the same facility of execution as the German ; the touch is much heavier, the keys sink much deeper, and, consequently, the return of the hammer upon the repetition of a note, cannot take place so quickly.
Whoever is yet accustomed to these instruments, should not by any means allow himself to be discomposed by the deep descent of the keys, nor by the heaviness of the touch ; only let him not hurry himself in the time, and let him play all quick passages and runs with the usual lightness of finger ; even passages which require to be executed with strength, must, as in German instruments, be produced by the power of the fingers, and not by the weight of the arms ; for as this mechanism is not capable of such numerous modifications as to degree of tone as ours, we gain no louder sound by a heavy blow, than may be produced by the natural strength and elasticity of the fingers.
In the first moment, we are sensible of something unpleasant, because in forte passages in particular, on our German instruments, we press the keys quite down, while here, they must be only touched superficially, as otherwise we could not succeed in executing such runs without excessive effort and double difficulty. As a counterpoise to this, however, through the fullness of tone of the English piano-forte, the melody receives a peculiar charm and harmonious sweetness.
In the mean time, I have observed that, powerfully as these instruments sound in a chamber, they change the nature of their tone in spacious localities ; and that they are less distinguishable than ours, when associated with complicated orchestral accompaniments ; this, in my opinion, is to be attributed to the thickness and fullness of their tone.
(quoted in Colt, C. F. The Early Piano. Stainer & Bell, London. 1981)
Edward Dannreuther, Beethoven and his Works : A Study (1876)