LDV31

Grand piano by Joseph Brodmann, Vienna, 1814

Collection Musée de la Musique, E.982.6.1

This fortepiano by Joseph Brodmann (1771-1848) was built in Vienna in 1814. Born

in Prussia, Brodmann moved to Vienna in 1796 and enjoyed a flattering reputation

there. Among his admirers was Carl Maria vonWeber, who bought an instrument

from him in 1813. He trained many piano makers, including the celebrated Ignaz

Bösendorfer (1796-1849), whose brand is still an authoritative one today.

This rare instrument, whichdisplays a highquality of craftsmanship, has an elegant

mahogany veneered case. It is decorated with a gilded bronze frieze featuring a

foliage design embellished with mascarons of female heads and lyres. The action

is Viennese and the keyboard covers a compass of six octaves. Its four pedal stops

(

una corda

, bassoon, celeste,

forte

) make it possible to modify the instrument’s

timbre and intensity.

When the museum acquired this instrument in 1982, it still possessed the original

appurtenances of the action and almost all the original strings. To allow the

fortepiano to be played, Christopher Clarke made a replica of the action and

stringing when he restored the instrument.

Thierry Maniguet

Curator at the Musée de la Musique, Paris

Compass: six octaves, F' - f'''', 73 notes

Viennese action

Four stops, operated by four pedals: una corda, bassoon, celeste, forte

Straight-strung, three strings per note

Pitch: a' = 430 Hz