Hi Everyone!
Another month just sped by us. Everyone I talk to says that time is flying faster all the time. I have no idea of why this is, but it’s crazy! Anyway, I hope this finds you well and enjoying the transition into summer. It’s been really windy here, which has been hard on the rhododendrons, but the colors all over town have been spectacular. I’ve added a few photos of some of ours at the end of the newsletter, so put your feet up for a few minutes and enjoy!
The piano was "invented" in about 1709 by Bartolomeo Cristofori, a harpsichord builder. Harpsichords and clavichords were the keyboard instruments of the day, but they were very quiet instruments and no matter how much force the player used on the keys, the volume never changed. If you've ever listened to harpsichord music for a long period of time, you know that although the music may be quite beautiful, the sound can become monotonous. There was a movement in the late 1600's and early 1700's to put a great deal of emotion into the creative arts, so Cristofori set out to find a way to put more expression into keyboard playing. How do you put expression into music? Usually by changing your speed and volume. Harpsichords have a mechanism that plucks the strings when the keys are pressed, so there is no way to change the volume when they are played. Cristofori found that by having hammers hit the strings, the amount of pressure that the fingers put on the keys changed the volume of sound that came out of the instrument. He called his invention a "pianoforte," which means "soft and loud."
The damper pedal is often referred to as the "loud" pedal, but it does not change the volume of sound that comes out of the piano. It only sounds louder when the player holds it down too long and all of the strings are vibrating at once!
Kimball pianos were once one of the largest and most popular American-made piano brands, with production spanning from 1888 to 1996. A furniture maker in Indiana bought the Kimball company in 1959, and later purchased Bösendorfer, the Austrian piano maker, in the late 1970s. Kimball ceased piano and organ production in February 1996 due to a global decline in piano sales.
New Reviews: As usual, we have a really eclectic group of reviews for you this month. They come from all over the world, and while some are of the artists are very familiar, some are new to MainlyPiano.com. Steve Yip reviewed new music from The Rolling Stones and Bruce Springsteen’s concert, so there should be something for just about everyone! I also reviewed two new songbooks and a new piece of sheet music from David Lanz.
Here's the link.
In 1866, a piano was patented that turned into a couch and had closets for bed clothes and a wash basin. The stool converted to a workbox, looking glass, desk, and a small set of drawers.
Vladimir de Pachmann, a piano virtuoso of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, claimed that milking cows was the best finger exercise there was.
The best-selling classical album of all time is The Three Tenors in Concert by Plácido Domingo, José Carreras, and Luciano Pavarotti, released in 1990. With over 12 million copies sold worldwide, it also holds the official Guinness World Record for the best-selling classical album.
New Interviews: Well, once again, I didn’t have a chance to do any new interviews, but I hope to get at least a couple of them done in June! Check back and see what’s new.
"Bach: The Goldberg Variations" (Glenn Gould's 1955 debut) remains the best-selling solo classical instrumental album of all time, maintaining steady sales since its release.
For a while, the system of white (ivory) keys for naturals and black (ebony) keys for sharps and flats was reversed. At the time, ebony was much cheaper and easier to find, so the naturals were black, and the sharps and flats were white.
Jan Ladoslas Dussek is credited as being the first concert pianist to perform with his right side to the audience (sometime in the 1780's). He was apparently quite handsome, and wanted his admirers to have the best view of his profile.
June Birthdays: June is one of the busiest months for music-related birthdays. Check 'em out!
6/1: Ronnie Wood (79), Pat Boone (92)
6/2: Charlie Watts (1941-2021), Marvin Hamlisch (1944-2012)
6/4: Suzanne Ciani, Freddy Fender (1927-2006)
6/5: Martha Argerich (85), Kenny G (70), Julie Hanney
6/6: Tony Levin (80), Edgar Froese (1944-2015), Steve Vai (66)
6/7: Prince (1958-2016), Tom Jones (86), Dean Martin (1917-95), Lynn Tredeau & Carol Commune
6/8: Robert Schumann (1810-56), Kanye West (49), Boz Scaggs (82), Nancy Sinatra (86)
6/9: Les Paul (1915-2009), Cole Porter (1891-1964), Kenny Barron (83), James Newton Howard (75)
6/10: Judy Garland (1922-69), Howlin’ Wolf (1910-76), Janine deLorenzo
6/11: Richard Strauss (1864-1949)
6/12: Chick Corea (1941-2021)
6/13: Eamonn Karran
6/14: Lang Lang (43), Boy George (65), Junior Walker (1931-95), Joe Bongiorno & Dan Kennedy
6/15: Edvard Grieg (1843-1907), Harry Nilsson (1941-94), Waylon Jennings (1937-2002), Erroll Garner (1921-77)
6/16: Tupak Shakur (1971-96)
6/17: Igor Stravinsky (1882-1971), Barry Manilow (83)
6/18: Paul McCartney (84)
6/19: Ann Wilson (76), Wayne Gratz & Kerani
6/20: Lionel Richie (77), Anne Murray (81), Brian Wilson (1942-2025), Chet Atkins (1924-2001), ME!!!
6/21: Spencer Brewer
6/22: Cyndi Lauper (73), Kris Kristofferson (1936-2024)
6/23: June Carter Cash (1929-2003), Donovan Johnson & Jennifer Thomas
6/24: Patrick Moraz (78), Mick Fleetwood (79), Jeff Beck (1944-2023), Rocky Fretz & Tom Eaton
6/25: George Michael (1963-2016), Carly Simon (81)
6/26: Dave Grusin (92), Ariana Grande (33), Georgie Fame (83)
6/28: Mel Brooks (100), David Lanz
6/29: Nelson Eddy (1901-67)
6/30: Stanley Clarke (75), Lena Horne (1917-2010), Matthew Mayer & Neil Tatar
Happy Birthday, everyone!!!
Early upright pianos were called “giraffes” and were about 7 1/2’ tall!
The biggest expansion of the US piano market took place between 1890 and 1910. From 1870-1890, the piano population grew 1.6 times faster than the human population. From 1890-1900, the piano population grew 5.6 times as fast as the human population; and from 1900-1910, pianos multiplied 6.2 times as fast as humans.
In the US in 1927, there were 248 piano manufacturers producing 423 brands. At that time there were no foreign brands. In 1987, there were 8 piano manufacturers producing 13 brands; there were 36 foreign brands. The active American piano manufacturers are now Steinway, Mason & Hamlin, and Charles R. Walter. Most pianos being sold in the US now are foreign brands - even Baldwin, Chickering and Wurlitzer have been outsourced or acquired by international conglomerates.
June Music Holidays and Celebrations: There might be a lot of June birthdays, but the holidays and celebrations are pretty skimpy!
All month:
Black Music Month
International Surf Music Month
National Accordion Awareness Month
National DJ Month
Audiobook Awareness Month
Weeks:
1-8: America The Beautiful week
25-27: Great American Brass Band week
Days:
6/4: Punk Day
6/21: World Music Day, National Day of the Gong, Make Music Day
6/25: Global Beatles Day
On December 17, 1825, Alpheus Babcock, an American, was granted a patent on a complete iron frame for a square piano. Babcock was never able to derive much profit from his important invention.
The best pianists can get as many as 200 different sounds from one piano key by changing the finger tone and pedal.
At Dolly Madison’s request, a piano was purchased specifically for the White House, but it was destroyed when the British burned the building during the War of 1812.
Well, that’s all I can think of for this issue. Happy Father’s Day to the dads, happy summer vacation to the kids, and everyone have a great month!
Kathy
Steinway presented the White House with an ornate gold-covered grand during Theodore Roosevelt’s administration. It was the 100,000th piano built by the company, and now stands in the Smithsonian Institution.
A recording of a Bach prelude played by pianist Glenn Gould was placed onboard the Explorer mission to prove the existence of intelligent life on earth.
Spruce is used for most pianos’ sound boards because of its wonderful resonance. On cheap pianos, the soundboards are often made of plywood.
This is Rosie, who also spends a lot of time in the garden!
To the best of my knowledge, the "trivia" items are true, but I can't guarantee it.
