Books › Musical Courier 1927-12-15: Vol 95 Iss 12, 1927 › scan 36
Scan 36
Musical Courier 1927-12-15: Vol 95 Iss 12, 1927
68 lines. Read by computer on 28 September 2026. Printed page 37. See the scan on archive.org.
1The Haddorff Credo Given in Full in "The Story of a True Piano"
3The Haddorff Piano Company has prepared a remarkable booklet which is one of the most artistic presentations of the piano and of piano tone that has lately been published, a booklet entitled "The Story of a True Piano." It is a remarkable bit of work, inasmuch as it does not single out the Haddorff as the only great piano of all time, as is often the case with attempts to analyse greatness. Instead, the writer delves into the fundamentals of designing craftsmanship and tonal research which are the attributes of piano greatness. The Haddorff has long been classed among the high grade pianos of this country. Its tonal quality is superb. It is the product of one of the great piano makers of the day. Its factory equipment is up to date in all respects, and everything comes under the careful supervision of master piano workmen. The result is a real art product, both as to appearance and as to tonal quality. This artistic conception of the piano is very ably expressed in the following paragraph taken from "The Story of a True Piano:"
5The True Piano
7"A piano, like a violin, is prized for its tone; and to a certain few pianos, as to the great violins, has been given a beauty of tone so outstanding and unmistakable as to win them the title of genuine works of art. Into this rare fellowship the Haddorff has justly earned the right of admission; it has the beauty and originality of true art."
9"The man who creates a true piano," says the booklet, "is an artist. He is an artist in tone. For months he works with steel strings, sound boards, ribs, bridges, felt hammers, until finally the tone which comes back to him is that same tone in his mind with which the whole process started." Reading on in the Haddorff booklet, it is difficult to refrain from quoting the entire article. It is excellently written, and the thoughts expressed convey a true impression of the artistic endeavor which goes into the creation of a great piano or, to quote the words of the pamphlet again, "The true piano." For example, there is the following short paragraph on tone, together with this analysis:
11What Is Pure Tone
13"The tone of a true piano like the Haddorff has an artistic distinction of its own which is quite apart from, and on a par with that of the pianist who plays it, or of the musical masterpiece which he interprets. Beauty of tone is like other forms of beauty in that it is interesting in itself, has a universal appeal, can be clearly felt and critically appraised, but is difficult to describe.
15"There are, however, certain definite characteristics of a beautiful piano tone which are prescribed by good taste and which may be more or less successfully named. Purity is one, by which is meant the absence of inharmonious overtones. Sonority is another; a good piano tone must have resonance, must prolong itself, must 'sing.' Fullness and richness are other terms applied to this singing resonance of a good piano tone. Power of tone is the piano's response to dynamic impulse applied to the keys. A piano tone is said to have depth when it can be forced to the extreme without going to pieces, without losing its original purity. Evenness is another requirement, a uniformity of quality running throughout the whole range of the piano, each note not only perfect in itself, but perfect in its relation to all of the other notes of the scale."
17Building Tone Into the Piano
19Carrying on the process of the creation of pure piano tone through the mechanical process of building it into the piano, again quoting from the Haddorff booklet, we find the following:
21"In the process of creating a true piano tone, the three most important things with which and upon which the artist-builder has to work are steel strings, felt hammers and sound boards. First come the strings. You can get nothing of beauty out of the piano which is not in the vibrations (tone and overtones) set up in the strings. Their selection (by artistic test, not by acoustic tables) for quality and size, and the determination of their lengths and tensions, are fundamental. The string scale may be perfect, however, and still, to produce the proper tone, the strings themselves must be struck and put in vibration by just the right instrument. That is the felt hammer. But the tone you actually hear is the tone which comes from the sound board. It is the tone which the sound board has picked up from each combination of string and hammer, has passed through its own texture and structure, and gives forth again both multiplied in power and perfected in quality. It is this intricate three-in-one complexity of string, hammer and board, which has made the achievement of a perfect piano tone so difficult and success impossible to any but the artist-builder."
23The Haddorff Sound-Board
25Following the tone discussion, the Haddorff booklet goes into considerable detail concerning the particular characteristics of the Haddorff sound board, which distinguishes it from the sound boards of other pianos. Concerning the Haddorff sound board, the booklet says:
27"The Haddorff sound board stands out from all others in three ways: (1) It is self-crowning: it resists by its own energy the downward pressure of the strings: so it never goes flat. (2) It is more sensitive with a freer vibration. (3) Most important of all, it reinforces equally and evenly every note in the scale, a claim which cannot be made for any piano sound board which is not constructed in the Haddorff way. Through years of study and experiment, led on by that haunting idea of a perfect piano tone to the realization of which he has devoted his life, Charles A. Haddorff, the creator and builder of the Haddorff piano, has developed a new and original theory and practice of sound board construction which constitutes the most important advance made during the present century in the science and art of piano building."
29The Haddorff Credo
31These construction principles are carried out in considerable detail in the book. There is additional information on ribs and bridges necessary to the construction of the piano sound board. The Haddorff constructional method for placing these bridges and ribs to carry out the acoustic principles developed by Charles A. Haddorff, are given in considerable detail. The all-important subject of touch, with its obligation of perfect regulation and fitting of the key and action mechanism is also taken up. Even the matter of plates having the proper anchoring to resist the enormous strain which is placed upon them by the strings is given. Summing up in its final paragraph, the booklet states:
33"Every Haddorff, from the smallest upright to the majestic concert grand, is an original artistic creation. It has a construction which meets the most advanced demands of acoustical science, and a tone which charms the most exacting and cultivated ear. It was conceived and built by an artist in piano tone. It is a true piano, proved by the test of more than a quarter of a century. It is a piano which is right now, today, in its artistic prime."
35Coast Piano Men Present Silver Trophy to P. T. Clay
37When a group of visitors, accompanied by the Directors of Sherman, Clay & Co., filed into the office of Philip T. Clay, the President, on the morning of November 25, it was not like one of those surprise parties where the host knows all about the affair, long beforehand. Mr. Clay was genuinely surprised to see his Directors, accompanied by a committee, headed by Frank Anrys, vice-president and General Manager of the Wiley B. Allen Co., Morley P. Thompson, Coast representative of the Baldwin Piano Co., James J. Black of the Wiley B. Allen Co. and Shirley Walker of Sherman, Clay & Co. The committee had called to present Mr. Clay with a very handsome silver trophy, or cup, in the name of the retiring directors of the Western Music Trades Association. Following is the inscription engraved on the cup:
39"Presented to Philip T. Clay, President of the Western Music Trades Association, 1926-7, by the officers and directors, in token of their esteem."
41The presentation, made by Frank Anrys as chairman of the committee, was quite a pleasant ceremony. Although taken by surprise, Mr. Clay responded in a very appropriate way and even jocosely told his visitors that if it had only been Thanksgiving Day, he might have had something to put in the vase, which has rather the appearance of a loving cup.
43Six New Recordings For Columbia Celebrity Series
45The Columbia Phonograph Company has just released six Celebrity Records which hold unusual musical interest. The Celebrity Series already contains a number of recordings of note, and has attracted widespread attention ever since the series was initiated. Four of the six new selections are orchestral numbers, the type of recording which is fast growing in popularity. One of these numbers is a recording of two numbers, "Solemn Melody," for organ and orchestra, and Purcell's "A Trumpet Voluntary," played by Sir Hamilton Harty and the Halle Orchestra. There is also a selection of airs from the immortal Madame Butterfly, played by the Columbia Symphony Orchestra, under the direction of Robert Hood Bowers.
47One of the finest of the orchestral numbers is the "Dance" from "Prince Igor," played by the London Symphony Orchestra, under the baton of Sir Thomas Beecham. This is the particularly brilliant selection which affords a wide range of orchestral color, and expert musicianship. The two other Celebrity Releases on the list are Toscha Seidel in a Slavonic and a Hungarian Dance, and Francesco Merli of the La Scala Opera Company in Italian operatic airs.
49The work of the Columbia Phonograph Company in bringing to America these great musical compositions as played by the leading musical organizations and artists of Europe has met with a fine response from American music lovers. Columbia dealers report a constantly increasing demand for this specialty. There are plenty of sales opportunities for the six numbers mentioned above.
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