The inherent tone quality of a piano depends on the nature and tension of the strings, the sound-board, the felt of hammers and the mechanism, the whole structure of the metal frame and the wooden case of the instrument.567 Gát believed that a piano’s tone quality depended on its construction, the material of the sound-board, the
construction of the sound-board, the type of the coating on the hammer and the quality of the felt.568 Boris Berman also acknowledged that instrument quality was an essential aspect in attaining a beautiful sound,569 writing, “Often overlooked is the need to work on
an instrument that responds sufficiently to the nuances of touch.”570However, Leschetizky focused more on the pianist’s ability to produce a beautiful tone quality based on touch and not on the instrument’s quality. He wrote, “A good pianist should be able to make any passable instrument sound well, for his knowledge will be so accurate that he can calculate to a very fine point how much he must allow for the difference and quality of touch.”571 Understanding the mechanism of the piano is indispensable to
565 Schultz. The Riddle of the Pianist’s Finger, 195. 566 Sándor. On Piano Playing, 14.
567 Sumner. The Pianoforte,68.
568 Gát. The Technique of Piano Playing, 12-13. 569 Berman. Notes From the Pianist’s Bench, 4. 570 Ibid.
produce desired sound quality. The mechanical action of the piano could be briefly explained as:
When a key is depressed, it causes a small, felt-covered hammer to be thrown against a set of strings tuned to a specific note of the scale. The key incorporates an escapement mechanism which detaches the hammer from the key just before striking the strings so that they receive a single, unimpeded blow from the
hammer. The exchange of momentum causes the strings to vibrate, and it is these vibrations which are the origin of the musical sound. The strings do not radiate sound directly, however, because they are much too small to interact with the surrounding air. Instead, they are coupled to a soundboard, a lightweight plate of wood, which is specifically designed to vibrate in sympathy with the strings. It is the structural vibrations of the soundboard which induce pressure changes in the air, rather in the manner of a loudspeaker cone, to create the sound we hear.572
Matthay stated “the piano key is a leverage system, a machine, to enable you to get speed with the string, and to ensure dynamic control – of the exact speed (or tone) desired.”573 Matthay stressed that “we must learn thoroughly to understand what is the nature of the particular treatment the key demands for each and every sound-kind, and shading; since it is alone through such difference in treatment that each difference in tone can be
induced.”574
4.5 PEDAL
Pedal could be one of the most distinct factors which influence the sound quantity and quality. Piano pedagogues acknowledged the different degrees to which a pedal influences sound quality. They perceived the importance of careful listening and the pianist’s individual judgment in timing for using pedal. Sándor regarded pedal as an essential device that created clear sonorities or will mix and blend sonorities:575
572 Rowland, David. The Cambridge Companion to the Piano. (Cambridge; New York: Cambridge University Press, 1998), 96.
573 Matthay. The Visible and Invisible, 6. 574 Matthay. The Act of Touch, 23. 575 Sándor. On Piano Playing, 161.
When the pedal is depressed with a note or chord, sympathetic vibrations are generated in all the strings of the piano. (Sympathetic vibrations are produced by vibrations in neighboring bodies of the same wavelength.) …When several notes or chords are played, the sympathetic vibrations are even richer; they prolong the sound and add to it an aura of many more harmonics.576
Leimer and Gieseking suggested three different ways to treat the pedal: using it in the building of sound, using it to combine notes and chords that could not be played simultaneously with the fingers alone, and using it in the attainment of aesthetic tonal effects.577 They also addressed the different character of sound produced when using the damper pedal by saying, “It is logical that a piece which is rendered with pedal will possess a different character of sound than the same piece which is performed without pedal; thus it means that the versatile artist will have to make the most of this
difference.”578 Berman further underscored that point, writing, “if the pianist wants to
refine his pedaling, he must first refine his ear.”579 Berman reinforced that using the pedal
was the only way to release the sympathetic vibration of strings and enrich the modern piano’s sound by freeing overtones. He advocated an abundant, but delicate, discreet use of the pedal when performing polyphonic music. He suggested using shallow pedaling in combination with frequent changes to create a sonorous quality without sacrificing clarity.580 According to Berman, the pianist’s use of the pedal should vary in response to different acoustical conditions. Therefore, memorizing pedaling to create certain effects would be impractical.581 Gát acknowledged dynamic and sound quality differences by employing pedal use. He stated that pedal use was a characteristic of each individual
576 Ibid., 162.
577 Leimer and Gieseking. Piano Technique, 126-127. 578 Ibid., 138.
579 Berman. Notes From the Pianist’s Bench, 111. 580 Ibid.
pianist, and that pedaling contributed to tone color. Gát also advised using the accurate pedal after the sounding the tone in order to reduce noise-effects and to create a beautiful tone quality.582 Lhevinne recognized the atmospheric effects of the pedal and stated “there is no hard and fast rule, each phrase is a law unto itself.”583 Neuhaus stressed that
questions of artistic pedaling were inseparable from questions of the tonal image. Proper pedaling could not be separated from tone quality.584
Regarding soft pedal, Sándor pointed out that “there might be some difference in volume and in the tone quality because a softer portion of the felt contacts the string when the left pedal is depressed.”585 He elaborated that “when the left pedal is depressed
and the piano mechanism shifts, a less-used portion of the felt contacts the strings and this alters the tone quality. Although the purpose of this pedal is not a change in tone quality, everyone now associates the left pedal with both a reduced sound and a new timbre.”586 Berman also acknowledged that by depressing the soft pedal, the pianist could
create the impression of producing a less percussive sound and of adding a special color to the sonority.587