Is this a physical impossibility?

[Roger Jolly]

Christopher Witmer wrote:

Hi Christopher,
                Complex question, but historical temperaments could to
be a good place to start your exploration.  Recently had a mind boggling
experience with Beethoven and the Vollati/Young temp, as did a group of
36 professional teachers.
Regards roger

> 
> I'm going to reveal my ignorance with this question, but, hey, it's the
> only way to learn.
> 
> I love the tonal qualities of the modern piano, but would it be possible
> to design a piano to retain these qualities and yet also be able to
> behave more like a fortepiano when required by the demands of certain
> period fortepiano pieces (e.g., certain passages in some of Beethoven's
> piano sonatas which are hard to play strictly as Beethoven instructed
> unless a fortepiano is used). I'm not sure it could be done, or whether
> it could be done without sounding really wierd -- an animal that
> sometimes barks like a dog and sometimes mews like a cat. And for all I
> know, if it can be done somebody is already doing it with some special
> pedal/damper/stringing implementation.