The century and a half bounded by Cristofori’s invention of a hammered keyboard mechanism and Chopin’s death in 1849 saw the world of stringed keyboard instruments completely upended by the rise of the piano, as it developed from a curiosity into a
necessity. Featuring the 1749 Silbermann replica by Paul McNulty and the 1843 Pleyel grand, this program arcs from Bach, the universalist for whom the piano was one of several suitable keyboards, to Chopin, for whom it was the one true cradle of his art. Joining these masters is Haydn, a self-described “living keyboard,” who in his early prime emulated the idioms of contemporaries in Italy, the piano’s birthplace.
Join us on Tuesday, October 22nd, 2024 at Barnes Hall at 7:30pm. All events are free and open to the public.
