This lecture-recital will explore the differences between Viennese and English pianos at the turn of the 19th century. It will include a demonstration on how Haydn wrote differently for Viennese and English pianos, performing a fantasy he wrote in Vienna on a replica of a Schantz piano from 1800, and one of his “London” sonatas on a Broadwood piano from 1799. Also included will be a piece written in 2023 by Michael Kropf for Gabriel’s very own early 19th century Broadwood square piano. Investigating how two very different composers changed how they wrote piano music for the c. 1800 English piano (Haydn on trips to London in the 1790s, and Kropf in Detroit in 2023) will provide an excellent launching point for discussing these pianos, pianos in general, and the music written for them. Additionally, music from this time invites the performer to actively engage with the musical text in the form of ornamentation and embellishment.
Pianist Gabriel Merrill-Steskal is currently pursuing a Doctor of Musical Arts at the University of Michigan, where he studies with Logan Skelton. As a performer, he has won awards in international competitions on both piano and fortepiano (including the Seattle International Piano Competition, Los Angeles International Liszt Competition, and SFZP International Fortepiano Competition) and recently was a fellow at the Gilmore piano festival and Pianofest in the Hamptons. He has also recorded for Blue Griffin Records as part of an upcoming album of new piano music by William Horne. Before turning to music full-time, he completed his undergraduate degree with a double major in music and chemistry, graduating summa cum laude from Whitman College, where he studied piano with David Hyun-Su Kim.
In addition to performance activities as a soloist and chamber musician, Gabriel is an active teacher and scholar. He has extensive experience playing fortepiano, which he studies with Matthew Bengtson, and he is interested in 18th and 19th century performance practice. He is currently Visiting Artistic Researcher at the Cornell Center for Historical Keyboards, presenting original lecture-recitals on historical pianos throughout Spring 2025. A thoughtful pedagogue of piano and music theory, Gabriel is currently a Graduate Student Instructor at the University of Michigan, teaching class piano and private lessons to undergraduate students. His most recent research projects include studying prolongational aspects of folk-based pitch structures in Bartók’s music, and examining characteristics of embellished repeats in Mozart and Chopin. Aside from all things piano, he enjoys spending time outside running and rock climbing.
Join us on Friday, February 7th at the Film Forum at the Schwartz Center at 7:30pm. This event is free and open to the public.
