Post by Owen HartnettPost by Tom DeaconPost by Peter LemkenHe did and I played on it during his stay in Berlin 2 weeks later. It was by
no means the super-light action that people keep talking about. It simply
was a well maintained New York Steinway with rather mellow sound and an
evenly weighted action. Nothing special at all.
Garbage.
If you say so, it must be true, right?
Wrong.
Post by Owen HartnettPost by Tom DeaconMore than one great pianist and more than one great piano technician has
reported in detail on the "preparation" of the Horowitz piano.
What other tuner besides Franz Mohr had reported in detail? None. It was
Mohr I talked to at great length; without Mohr's kind assistance I would
hardly have been able to see the piano, watch it being prepared for the
recital at the Philharmonie and eventually play it.
Did you play the piano?
Post by Owen HartnettPost by Tom DeaconI have no
idea what piano H took to Berlin at the end of his life,
But I do. Remember, I was there.
Post by Owen HartnettPost by Tom Deaconbut the ones he
used in North America were all highly "prepared pianos".
So, what is "highly prepared"? Is it anything that you would care to
enlighten the group about? Anything that is so special in knowledge that it
has only been handed to you as a trade secret?
Is there anything that qualifies you to make that kind of wild assertion, or
is it just your usual incompetent blathering?
I doubt you could tell the difference between a New York and Hamburg
Steinway, let alone give qualified comments on the quality of an instrument,
its preparation for a recital.
BTW, it was that very piano he always played in New York, the very one with
the lacquered hammers for the 1978/879 season, the one that sounds like a
shrill toy in the Rachmaninoff 3rd from his Jubilee season.
Yes, it has been completely reworked after that season, including a new set
of hammers, because the old ones were beyond rescue.
Post by Owen HartnettPost by Tom DeaconPost by Peter LemkenHorowitz' piano sound was unique and it was Horowitz who produced that
sound, not the piano.
Of course he did. He was the only one playing it. The ONLY one.
The only one playing it in concert, yes. Not the only one playing it under
other circumstances, like teaching in his living room. Maybe you should talk
to Eduardus Halim, probably the only one to be able to give you a qualified
opinion about Horowitz' piano in his later years.
Post by Owen HartnettPost by Tom DeaconOhlsson once said that playing H's piano was, for a pianist, like walking
along a street and then, all of a sudden, finding yourself on glare ice
wearing nothing but a pair of socks. No traction! A sheer nightmare! I
believe him.
After he died, Horowitz's piano toured the US along with the piano
tuner who took care of it. I didn't get to go try it, but it was in
Providence, RI for a while and one could call and make an appt. to
check it out. It was a very light and sensitive action, but probably
not that much lighter than a standard piano.
Mohr himself said that the piano was reworked after Horowitz' death.
Post by Owen HartnettDid he use a "prepared piano?" Depends on what you mean. Was his
piano tuned and adjusted to fit his playing style? Certainly.
You make it sound as if Horowitz had one particular tuner that did things
different from everything else he did, but that is not the case. Mohr, was
not his private tuner, he was employed by Steinway and he prepared the piano
just as he would do with every other instrument.
As a matter of fact, there is not a lot you can actually do to "transform"
an instrument, both in terms of sound and action. You can harden the
hammers, which is what happened to the Horowitz piano in preparation of his
first orchestra appearance in New York and its dreadful sound. You can even
out notes by carefully "needling" the hammer felt, but that is noticable
only within a very small margin of difference. It's certainly nothing to
make a piano sound much more louder, au contraire.
Same with the action of a concert grand: The basic lever distribution is
the same for all actions within a very small range. It is *impossible* to
change a heavy going action to a silky smooth action, unless you start
taking it apart with a chainsaw, remove all lead in the key bottom and drill
some holes in there instead.
When pianists report about a "super-light-weight" action that "basically"
plays itself, it's nothing more than euphemism for "I liked it". Take it
down to the physical level and actually measure the force necessary to press
a key until it releases the hammer and you will see that the differences
between various instruments are negligable.
It's instructive to take a look at
http://home.t-online.de/home/Burk.Wagner/fluegelmechanik.htm
(Sorry, only in German, but I am sure you will find some equally instructive
pages in English, together with detailled drawings)
Show this to your next door noble prize physicist and let him tell you what
can be done and what not. You will be surprised.
Post by Owen HartnettDoes
that mean that he couldn't play a standard piano? Nonsense. He made
his early career playing on standard pianos. Could someone else take
his "prepared" piano, and using it, produce the famed "Horowitz sound?"
Definitely not.
Exactly.
When you take a look at "Horowitz in Moscow" and his visit at the Scriabin
Museum, there is a short passage where he plays an excerpt from his d-flat
minor etude - on a very old Bechstein in not so good shape. You will
immediately know who plays, simply from the sound produce.
The Horowitz sound.
Peter Lemken
Berlin
--
Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in
a pretty and well-preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly
used up, totally worn out and loudly proclaiming, 'Wow, what a ride!'