Piano History

  • 1.  Eight Octave Erard Grand Piano

    Posted 02-18-2024 18:44
      |   view attached

    My research into the Ed. Westermayer piano company turns up all kinds of little treasures.

    Reading in the catalog of the 1880/1881 Melbourne World Exhibition, I came across this description of an eight octave Erard. 

    Is this a known thing among colleagues interested in piano history?



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    Jurgen Goering
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    Attachment(s)

    pdf
    Erard, Melbourne, 1880.pdf   314 KB 1 version


  • 2.  RE: Eight Octave Erard Grand Piano

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 02-18-2024 20:06
    Interesting! Seems to be a likely one-off for purposes of an exposition by the description, but it is certainly possible others were made. Henri Pape exhibited an 8-octave back in the early 1840s, so expanded range was not a brand new thing.

    Wayne Stuart and Paulello have been making even larger ranges in recent years.

    Regards,
    Fred Sturm
    "The cure for boredom is curiosity, and there is no cure for curiosity." Dorothy Parker




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