the piano of the immortals

[iumonito]

I am curious if you know facts or have heard myths about the pianos owned by great musicians of the past.

I can provide three famous examples to get things started: 

Beethoven is said to have loved his Broadwood piano.  Little is said, though, about what size this piano was.  Was his piano veneered?  I believe veneer and making pianos black is a later invention, intended to cover the many sins of the wood used in the rim.

Liszt absolutely loved his Steingraeber piano, which is a model about 200 centimiters long, 85 keys, I believe.  (personally, I really like this business of having the piano start and finish in the same note.  Stuart & Sons are like that now; nine full octaves, I believe)

Leopold Godowsky, my hero, owned a Knabe.  I am not sure of the size, but I will try to find out and let you guys know.

Any others?  Brahms, Schumann, Chopin, Rachmaninoff, Ravel, Debussy, Bartok?

[Nordlys]

Debussy had a Blüthner piano with aliquot stringing (a fourth string in discant),  which he was very enthusiastic about.

Here you can read about the Debussy piano, which he bought 1904:
https://www.litart.co.uk/bluthner.htm

[iumonito]

No kidding! I love Bluthners.  I wonder what Model Debussy had.  Next time I come across one I will have to try some Debussy.  They play Brahms really really well (Brahms was another great Buthner enthusiast).

Funny they call it the patented aliquot system.  Introduced in 1872, it is inching in 100 years of being in the public domain (the first patent anyway).

[CJ Quinn]

Prokofiev at least owned an August Förster:


"...Among the confiscated things was the Förster piano brought by father from the West. They paid no attention to my explanations that this was my father's piano..."

Interview with P's son at https://www.prokofiev.org/interviews/svprkf.html

(this info thanks to a member of the August Förster Owner's group on yahoo)

[Nordlys]

The piano of Edvard Grieg - a Steinway from 1892, still standing in his house which is now a museum. This was given to him as a present from Steinway. They knew how to make publicity about their instruments...

[chickering9]

Liszt absolutely loved his Steingraeber piano, which is a model about 200 centimiters long, 85 keys, I believe. 

Liszt also owned and cherished a Chickering concert grand which still sits in his Budapest flat which is now a memorial museum.  He intended to have the Chickering at his country home but had great difficulties trying to get it moved to the house, so it remained in the flat where it still sits today.  Here's his rosewood Chickering:



Details about Liszt and his pianos can be found at:

https://www.lisztmuseum.hu/index.html

[Piazzo22]

Composers that I know:

Prokofiev
Puccini
Richard Strauss
Douglas Lilburn

Prefered and owned August Förster.

[chickering9]

The piano of Edvard Grieg - a Steinway from 1892...

Like many of the immortals, Grieg owned more than one piano.  His other piano was a Chickering.  His Peer Gynt Suite debuted at Chickering Hall in New York City on that Chickering.

[Brian Lawson, RPT]

I am curious if you know facts or have heard myths about the pianos owned by great musicians of the past.

I can provide three famous examples to get things started:

Beethoven is said to have loved his Broadwood piano. Little is said, though, about what size thsi piano was. Was his piano veneered? I believe veneer and making pianos black is a later invention, intended to cover the many sins of the wood used in the rim.
 

You may be interested in this, Beethoven's letter to Broadwood
https://www.uk-piano.org/broadwood/lvb_wood.html

All pianos are veneered, even then.

[Floristan]

Here's a link to a restoration of Brahms' Streicher:

https://www.hecherpiano.com/brahmspiano_e.html#BRAHMSFLUEGEL

[iumonito]

Thank you for your very excellent responses.  I am enjoying this string a lot.  And learning about the virtues of veneer!  It is not only for covering sins; it so happens that it helps the piano's rim to fend off some humidity so that it won't crack.  Who knew?  Not me!

[iumonito]

Could it be true that this Pleyel, once owned by Liberace and now enjoying nice dry weather in Las Vegas was once Chopin's?

https://www.jsonline.com/images/enter02/feb/pianobig020602.jpg

(Sorry, being a ludite I have no idea how to make this be a link or to post the image).

[chickering9]

Could it be true that this Pleyel, once owned by Liberace and now enjoying nice dry weather in Las Vegas was once Chopin's?

Gershwin's Steinway (one of three pianos he owned, the others being a Chickering concert grand and a Boesendorfer semi-concert grand) is sitting in the next deck chair over from the Pleyel soaking up that Nevada sun at that little museum.

[pianonut]

west chester is home to samuel barber's heritage museum.  i will check it out and tell you what he played on.  it has been so interesting reading this thread!  love the pic's too.

[rich_galassini]

Composers that I know:

Prokofiev
Puccini
Richard Strauss
Douglas Lilburn

Prefered and owned August Förster.

Strauss is also listed as a noted Bosendorfer owner. Good thread.

[cognoscentus]

Ravel played a georgeous Pleyel, but must also have played Erards, since Erard commissioned a lot of his work.  Pleyel was also Chopin's favorite, although he loved his Erard as well.

By the way - the Erards were a beautiful piano.  Its a shame they're so rare on this side of the pond.

Re Liszt, he had a Bosendorfer as well (and I'm sure other pianos).  By the way, I went to the Liszt museum in Budapest and was quite surprised and excited to see the Chickering (I used to own one and really liked it)

Busoni played a Bosendorfer, apparently he was the one who requested the extra keys.