List of Keyboards
Grand Piano by Fritz, J
This Viennese fortepiano, built by Johann Fritz and dating from around 1800, was owned by Count Keglevicz’s daughter Barbara, who was one of Beethoven’s pupils. It looks surprisingly frail, with beautiful gilded decorations, and yet can produce a tremendous sound. Uniquely, it has five pedals, including a so-called “Turkish Pedal” to trigger a mechanism consisting of bells, cymbal clash and a drum mechanism striking the soundboard.
Credit: © Min-On Music Museum
Grand Piano by Fritz, J
Johann Fritz was among the leading piano builders in Vienna in the early 19th century.
His instruments were not only praised by the aristocracy for their elegant cabinet style, but were also highly valued for their tonal quality, which is regarded as the missing link between the five-octave instruments of Anton Walter and the later, larger models of Conrad Graf.
Technical data:
Inscription: Johann Fritz in Vien
Compass: 6 octaves (FF-f'''')
Keyboard: naturals in ivory, sharps in ebony
Pedals: 4: bassoon - controlling keyboard shift - moderator - damping
Dimensions: L 223 cm / W 117 cm
Chris Maene Collection number: CM 21 340
Condition: restored to concert level
Location: 3 - Museum headquarters "Piano's Maene" Ruiselede
Square Piano by Friederici, C
Kinsky (1910), based on the signature, identifies Christian Gottlob Friederici as the builder, stating that it was “apparently built shortly before his death (which occurred in January 1805)”, but corrected this in 1913: “…presumably by Christ. Ernst Wilhelm Friederici in Gera, the son of the famous piano maker Christ. Gottlob F. (1750–1805), whose firm’s mark is borne by the instrument. This attractive instrument displays typical Biedermeier features...” It is, however, unlikely that the son would still have been using his father’s signature some 15 years after the latter’s death; it is more likely that the genuine signature was subsequently transferred to an unsigned instrument. Furthermore, the instrument is said to have been crafted according to the ‘Reußer Fuß’ standard of 286.5 mm in use in Gera; however, this measurement does not add up anywhere, whereas the Saxon standard of 23.6 mm yields convincing results, suggesting that this was originally an unsigned Saxon instrument.
Credit: Uni Leipzig
Pyramid Piano by Friederici, C E
Friederici (Friderici) was a distinguished family of keyboard instrument makers specialising in clavichords, harpsichords, and early pianos. Originally from the Tyrol region of Austria, the family later settled in Germany, eventually establishing themselves in Gera, Saxony.
The brothers Christian Ernst Friederici (1709–1780) and Christian Gottfried Friederici (1714–1777) worked together as instrument makers. Christian Ernst is believed to have trained under the renowned builder Gottfried Silbermann in Freiberg. His instruments earned widespread admiration, including praise from C. P. E. Bach, while members of the Mozart family were also known to value his clavichords highly.
Christian Ernst is particularly notable for producing some of the earliest known pyramid pianos, an innovative upright form that became popular in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. Although no instruments by Christian Gottfried are known to survive, Christian Ernst's surviving works remain important examples of early German keyboard craftsmanship. Photo Credit: Daderot Wikicommons