Piano Quatuor by Baudet, G

Patented in Paris in 1865 by Hubert Cyrille Baudet, the Piano-Quatuor is a fascinating bowed keyboard instrument. Instead of hammers striking the strings as in a conventional piano, pressing a key brings a small bow into contact with the string, causing it to vibrate continuously while the key is held down. This produces a sustained, singing tone rather than the percussive attack of a piano. The keyboard therefore controls the pitch while the bowing mechanism provides the sound, allowing the player to produce long, expressive notes and, with careful control of the keys, a remarkably vocal quality.

Foto : Dan Johansson