Thursday (Mar 29) is World Piano Day--an annual worldwide event with the aim of promoting, and celebrating the piano — the “king of instruments” (although some might suggest this title belongs to the organ!). It takes place on, and around, the 88th day of each year. Why 88? Because that’s the number of keys on a traditional acoustic piano of course.
Piano Day was the idea of German pianist/composer/producer Nils Frahm. It launched in 2015. When asked why the world needs a Piano Day, Frahm is reported as saying “…mostly, because it doesn’t hurt to celebrate the piano and everything around it: performers, composers, piano builders, tuners, movers and most important, the listener.”
Every year Piano Day grows bigger, with a large number of events taking place across the globe – from Berlin to Beirut, Poland to Portugal, and Montreal to Moscow. There are concerts and recitals, lectures, demonstrations, clinics, happenings, and much more.
Here on Winnipeg's Classic 107 we'll be playing all of our favourite piano works and artists throughout the day. Plus we'll hear from some Winnipeg pianists about how the piano stole their hearts and why?
Let's begin with some interesting facts about the piano you may or may not have known . . .
This piano was invented in Italy in 1709 by a harpsichord maker Bartolomeo di Francesco Cristofori. His first creation was called gravicèmbalo col piano e forte which, in Italian, means harpsichord with loud and soft. This name was later shortened to ‘fortepiano’ to then just ‘piano’. As you may already know, the harpsichord is only capable of producing sound in certain volume and expression, so having an instrument that is sensitive to touch was a game changer. The first piano invented was so expensive that even average rich families could not afford it. You could predominantly find the instrument in the homes of aristocrats and royalty for nearly a century before it became more accessible to the rest of the public. First piano was of course different in terms of its looks and was not quite perfected as it is today. It wasn’t until the 19th Century that these instruments were produced much like the ones you see in the present. (Photo at left from the Metropolitan Museum of Art)
Tension of the Strings
Pianos usually have around 220-230 strings that are made from steel and strung extremely tight in order to produce a sound when being struck by the hammers. Each string usually holds around 168 pounds of tension, making the total tension of most standard pianos around 18-20 tons. However, some of the largest grand pianos hold up to whopping 30 tons of tension! This is truly incredible and exactly what makes piano tuning such a specialist, intricate job that can only be done by a professional.
The Longest Piano Piece
The longest piano piece of any kind is ‘Vexations’ by Erik Satie. It consists of a 180-note composition which, on the composer’s orders, must be repeated 840 times so that the whole performance is 18 hours 40 minutes. Its first reported public performance in September 1963, in the Pocket Theatre, New York City, required a relay team of 10 pianists. The New York Times critic fell asleep at 4 a.m. and the audience dwindled to 6 masochists. At the conclusion, on sado-masochist shouted ‘Encore!’
Here is a shorter version performed by Joana Gama
World's Largest Piano
The record for the largest piano ever made is held by Adrian Mann, a piano tuner from New Zealand. It took him 4 years to build the piano and this grandiose instrument weighs 1.4 tonnes and is 5.7 metres long – a tremendous achievement for a guy who was just 25 years old when he finished working on his piano. You can find out more about his story below.
Now, according to the Guinness World Book of Records, the largest piano measured 2.495 m (8 ft 2 in) in width, 6.07 m (19 ft 10 in) in length and 1.925 m (6 ft 3 in)in height and was
Pianos usually have 88 keys. This record-breaking behemoth has 156 of them!
Sadly, Daniel died on Dec 3, 2013.
Below is pianist Katarzyna Borek playing some Chopin on the giant.
The Most Expensive Piano
Designed by Canadian manufacturer Heintzman Pianos this beautiful instrument was played for the first time in front of an audience at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games by a Chinese pianist Lang Lang. The piano features a gorgeous transparent design and is called the Crystal Piano. It was later sold at an auction for $3.22 million, making it the most expensive piano in the world. This exquisitely-crafted instrument retired early after it’s only performance (but still one that surpasses all the performances we’ll ever perform in our lifetime) and was sold at auction to an anonymous bidder for a record-breaking sum of $3.22 million USD. It has not resurfaced since.
The second most expensive piano? John Lennon's Steinway Model Z . Purcgased by the late British superstar George Michael for 2.37 million, the piano is brown with no gold or silver or material of any significant worth whatsoever. BUT! On this piano Lennon happened to compose and film the immortal classic ‘Imagine’, helping the price tag rise nicely. It also had priceless cigarette burns talentedly created by the singer himself.
Who is the Most Recorded Pianist?
The most recorded pianist is Charles Segal (USA), who has recorded 11,721 tracks as of March 31, 2017.
Charles has been a professional pianist since the 1950's and has recorded with such musicians as Bobby Darin, Debbie Gibson, and Tony Bennet, among many others.
When the Digital Pianos Come Along
Although an acoustic piano has been around since 1700s, a digital piano was not brought to the market until 1980! The quest for an electronic instrument, however, had begun in the 1920s and, around 30 years later, the electric piano was born. It was an acoustic instrument with a pick up that would let you amplify it and quickly gained huge popularity – the electric piano was used by famous musicians such as Ray Charles and Duke Ellington. Then, in 1960s synthesizer appeared, which then influenced many genres of music thereafter. Finally, in the 1980s, the modern digital piano was introduced as we know it today! This opened a whole world of possibilities and also solved a lot of disadvantages of acoustic pianos, allowing musicians to practice silently, amplify the instrument, save space and tuning costs.
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Is Piano a Percusion or String Instrument?
This often sparks up discussion among musicians and it may come as a surprise to some that piano is considered a percussion instrument. Although it features strings throughout, the sound is produced by the hammers hitting the strings, therefore, the piano has landed itself a place among percussion section within a symphony orchestra.
Upright Piano is Slower Than a Grand Piano.
It may be unnoticeable to some pianists; however, the action on a grand piano is faster than the one on an upright, allowing you to play much faster. This is because a grand piano has a repetition lever, allowing the musician to repeat the notes when the key is only half way up. On an upright, vertical action requires the key to go all the way up to reset it.
And finally . . . . .
KING OF MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS!!!!
The piano is called the King of Musical Instruments and, while I’m sure you will agree it is one of the best instruments you could play, there are a number of reasons behind it. The piano has the widest range of tones extending lower than a 16 foot pedal note on an organ and higher than the top note of a piccolo. Plus, it is one of the few instruments that can play accompaniment and melody at the same time, making it a complete, independent instrument. All of this in addition to the impressive size of the piano has truly earned it this title. And if that isn’t a good enough reason to learn the piano, I don’t know what is!
Sources:
https://www.normans.co.uk/blog/2015/03/10-interesting-facts-piano/
http://www.eugeneportman.com/pages/other-information/music-interesting-facts.htm#.Wru8MNTwapo
Tue, Apr 30, 9:00 AM
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