Greetings and Happy November!
I hope this finds you well and not totally burned out on Pumpkin Spice everything!
Has it really been a year since I did Issue 500 of Pianotes? Well, here we go with #512! Enjoy!
As of June 2025, the most expensive piano ever sold is the Heintzman Crystal Piano, a transparent masterpiece made from acrylic by Canadian manufacturer Heintzman Pianos. This piano became globally recognized when pianist Lang Lang performed on it during the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Following its iconic appearance, the piano was auctioned for a record-breaking $3.22 million, securing its place as the most expensive piano ever sold. To see photos of this piano and the other ten most-expensive pianos,
click here.
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was the first great piano virtuoso.
Two Austrians took out a patent in 1824 for a concavely-curved keyboard. The idea was that a longer reach was possible on a curve.
New Reviews: October has been another month of new music from all over the world - Denmark, Argentina, Cyprus, France, Sweden, Austria and Japan as well as the good ol’ US of A. There is a lot of variety in the music as well as where it originated, so have fun exploring some of this new music! I also reviewed new sheet music from David Lanz and a songbook from Gerald Krampl. You can find links to all of them
here.
I reviewed Michael Whalen’s beautiful new Christmas album and will be working on Neil Patton’s new Christmas album and songbook this weekend, so be on the lookout for those! If you are looking for Christmas and holiday recordings,
here is a link to all of the ones I've reviewed. For this year’s new releases,
use this link. For sheet music and songbooks, the link to all that I've reviewed is
here, and new ones for 2025 are
here.
Lots to choose from!!! Enjoy!
The second most-expensive piano ever sold is the a Steinway Model D that is adorned with artwork inspired by Mussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition. Renowned artist Paul Wyse hand-painted this one-of-a-kind piano, which combines artistic beauty and musical excellence. It was sold for $2.5 million, making it one of Steinway’s most valuable creations.
Composer Sergei Rachmaninoff performed at the White House three different times.
Before the 1830's, it was unheard of for a performer to base his or her performance on the work of another composer.
Holiday Wishes List: As most of you know, I’ve been featuring a “Holiday Wishes List” in the December issue of Pianotes for many years, and I plan to do that again this year. Around mid-November, I’ll send out an email asking for your two biggest holiday wishes. Or you can send them to me at any time before the end of November. For this article, the wishes do not have to be anything that can be wrapped or put under a tree - they are wishes. You will find Wishes Lists in all of the December issues of
Pianotes. Here are the links to the lists from
2024 and
2023.
The third most-expensive piano is the Steinway & Sons Fibonacci, which was created to celebrate Steinway’s 600,000th piano. A stunning tribute to mathematical beauty, the design was inspired by the Fibonacci spiral and crafted from rare Macassar ebony. The price tag is $2.4 million.
Franz Liszt was the inventor of the modern recital and was the first musician to give a concert without assistance from other artists.
On April 4, 1964, The Beatles held all top five spots on the Billboard Hot 100 - the only time that has happened in the history of the chart.
New Interviews: Well, I didn’t get any new interviews done in October, but I’m still hoping Peter Kater will have time to do the interview I sent him. I have several others lined up, so keep checking back!
The rise of opera in the 1600’s did more to help the economic prospects of musicians during this period than the expansion in music publishing.
Yamaha pianos were awarded honorary grand prizes at world expositions in St. Louis and Seattle in 1904 and 1909, respectively.
Mozart usually published the keyboard works he wrote for amateurs but not the more virtuosic works he composed for himself.
November Birthdays: Here is a partial list of musical November birthdays:
1: Joseph Akins (or is it October 31st?), Renee Michele, Brenda Warren, Dyan Garris, Deborah Offenhauser
2: Gina Lineé
3: Darla Bower & Cobb Bussinger
4: Rachel Currea & Tri Nguyen
6: Dimitri Kovachev
8: Tiana Andreas
14: Yanni
15: David Nevue
17: Jeff Bjorck & Ovidio De Ferrari
20: Robin Spielberg & Mary Lydia Ryan
21: Paul Avgerinos & Al Jewer
22: Cory Levine
23: Omar Akram
25: David Glass
26: Gary Girouard & Robin Goldsby
27: Vicente Avella & Thad Fiscella
28: Ryan Stewart
A very Happy Birthday to all of you!
The earliest-known advertisement for a piano was made in 1775 by John Behrent and placed in the Philadelphia newspapers.
The first copyright warning on a published work of music was found attached to a collection of motets by Salamone Rossi issued in Venice in 1623. It involved no legal threats, merely a curse on anyone infringing on the composer’s rights. Anyone who dared to reprint the works without permission would get bitten by a serpent. Readers were told that this threat was authorized by angels.
JS Bach fathered at least twenty children - more than any other significant composer in history.
November Music Holidays and Celebrations: In addition to Veterans’ Day and Thanksgiving, here are a few more dates to celebrate in November:
All month: Hip-Hop History Month & International Drum (Percussion) month
6th: National Saxophone Day
8th: World Pianist Day
11th: National Metal Day
13th: National Hug a Musician Day & Symphonic Metal Day
15th: National Drummer Day
16th: National Clarinet Day
19th: National Blow Bagpipes Day
26th: National Jukebox Day and Pins and Needles Day
30th: Perpetual Youth Day
The earliest German upright pianos were called pyramid pianos because of their symmetrical shape.
There were more than 300 piano teachers in Vienna in 1799.
Opera emerged in the 1600s as a privileged spectacle for the wealthy, then gradually turned into commercial entertainment for the general public.
I finally got down to our beach a couple of times in October and took quite a few photos. They are a reminder of why we love it here so much! Wishing everyone a great month, a Happy Thanksgiving and lots of great music!
Kathy
To the best of my knowledge, the "trivia" items are true, but I can't guarantee it.
