Sic transit.... looking backwards and forwards

[David Porritt]

David:

Steinway was indeed looking forward at that time.  The B had its last
redesign in 1884 (according to the Steinway Technical Reference Manual) and
was quite ahead of its time.  CST Steinway and Henry Zigler might have been
the last two to do any redesign there.  When they were gone innovation seems
to have stopped.

dp

____________________
David M. Porritt, RPT
dporritt at smu.edu
-----Original Message-----
From: pianotech-bounces at ptg.org [mailto:pianotech-bounces at ptg.org] On Behalf
Of David Boyce
Sent: Monday, April 02, 2007 5:46 PM
To: Pianotech List
Subject: Sic transit.... looking backwards and forwards

A customer I'd not seeen for some years phoned.  They have an old Bechstein 
upright, Number 31359.  Last time I tuned it was for her little girl's piano

lessons.  Her young brother, about 5,  had spent a lot of time rifling 
through my toolbox and I was scared he'd cut or jab himself.  "Your two 
children must be quite grown up now" I said on the phone.  "Yes our 
daughter's a doctor now and our son is away at university!"   How the months

and years flash past!  I tuned it this morning. It's really plumb tuckered 
out, poor li'l fellow.  But when I played it after, there was still the 
remnant of quite a sweet piano in there.  Apparently the piano had 
originally been bought for the old St. Andrews Halls in Glasgow (destroyed 
by fire in the 1960s) and it had been used to accompany Miss Adelina Patti 
performing there.

In the afternoon I tuned an old Erard grand, No. 81076 (c1901).  It's of 
very backward-looking, but pretty, French design. A bronze (or brass?) capo 
d'astro bar with blued steel screws, in style of an old English pocket 
watch.  Straight strung, with bronze covered strings. Plate not an integral 
casting but with bars and bolts.  A quite  idiosyncratic action, and 
underdampers.

I was musing over the contrast with the S&S B that I tune in the local 
theatre, No. 82076.  This is actually a few years older than the Erard, but 
to all intents and purposes a completely modern piano.  The Hamburg Steinway

looked forward in design, and the Erard looked backward.  The theatre S&S 
was restored by Steinway about 20 years ago and it's wonderful, just lovely.