Scan 226
The American history and encyclopedia of music .., 1908
6 lines. Read by computer on 8 September 2026. Printed page 184. See the scan on archive.org.
1advantage in tone production. However, theory tends to carry the maker beyond the possible, when it must give way to practise, as is exemplified in the weights of the strings.
3The wood, which is such an important factor in the pianoforte, is selected with almost as much care as was used by the violin makers of Cremona in their search for the backs and bellies of their instruments. Those who are entrusted with this work are capable of distinguishing favorably between the tones emitted by blocks of wood when struck. In the pianoforte the strings have such a meager vibrating surface that the sound vibrations produced by them alone could not reach the ear of the listener with any reasonable force. Therefore, the strings are carried across a bridge by which the vibrations are transmitted to the sounding-board, which, with its greater expanse of surface, repeats and increases them and at last transmits them to the air. Spruce, pine, maple, oak, mahogany and other varieties of wood are used. After it has been sawed into strips it is weather-seasoned from three to ten years, the length of time depending upon the use to which it will be put. It is then taken to the drying room and submitted to extreme artificial heat for a number of weeks, when it is placed in a dry atmosphere until used. After the long process is completed, the wood is sawed into widths, all less than six inches, which are glued together to form the wooden parts of the pianoforte. The wood is cut with the grain running vertically and horizontally and in the parts needing strength the strips are glued together with the grain alternating to make them more substantial and less likely to warp. On the other hand, in those parts designed for the transmission of vibrations the strips are glued together with the grain exactly matched, so that the vibrations can follow the grain without interruption.
5The foundation of the entire pianoforte is the frame or more technically the rast. In the upright instruments, the rectangular frame is strengthened with cross-pieces, while in the grand, strips of wood emanate from a common center and are bent to fill out the rounded outline of the cases.
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