English and Viennese Actions

[Gevaert Pierre]

Hi,

 

I recently played on an old Erard Square from 1804 with no escapement at
all, just two pilots in between the hamershank. One mounted directy on the
key and the other on a separate hinge in between.

I was amazed to see how fast it is possible to make a note repeat. It is
possible to make a nice guitar like tremolo !

 

Pierre Gevaert 

 

-----Message d'origine-----
De : pianotech-bounces at ptg.org [mailto:pianotech-bounces at ptg.org] De la part
de Anne Acker
Envoyé : mardi 12 juin 2007 19:25
À : pianotech at ptg.org
Objet : English and Viennese Actions

 

 

Hear, Hear!!!

 

With one exception:  I find that the better makes, properly set up, and
played by the sensitive player, have equally fast repetition.  Proving this
will be part of an ongoing research project.

 

Anne 

 

 

 

 

 

from Stephane________________________________________

 

For me, the difference between modern action and viennese, or even english
action, is most obvious when the pianist plays very subtle PP dynamics.  In
a modern action, when you depress the key very slowly, everything goes fine
until you encounter the spot where repetition lever and the jack both hit
their button.  You then have much increased friction, more noticeable at PP
playing because you don't profit from parts inerty to overcome it, plus you
have the repetition spring to bend, even more if you regulate large drop
values.  Add to this that because of the bouncing effect of the shank on the
springy lever you have to regulate the letoff comfortably far away from the
string, and you understand that the dynamic range below PP is inexistant in
a modern action.

A contrario, on an english or a viennese action, there is nothing that comes
in the way when you depress the key : it is a continuous movement with
constant feel of resistance untill the very set off, which, because no lever
and no spring, you can regulate much closer to the string.  This means that
ANY movement of the finger to the bottom of the dip will cause a sound from
the string, proportionnal to the speed of stoke, foreseen that the set off
(the only regulation on those actions) is regulated evenly.  The dynamics
below PP are MUCH more controllable.

You could say : who cares to play that low levels ?  But then, in the hands
of a good pianist who took the time to understand these actions, those less
than PP dynamic ranges are used with great advantage to, for example,
lowering the level of the left hand accompanyment, while playing the right
melody at usual level, which results in a sort of tonal colour shades that
are simply unattainable on a modern action.  Most skilled pianists even put
some difference between the notes in one single chord played PP, like for
example a tid bit emphasizing the third in the chord, in order to give the
chord a rich warm colour (even more so with historical temperaments), or
emphasizing the fifth to obtain a colder but sturdier finale effect.  This
of course you can do also on a modern action, but not at PP level.  It is a
real experience to discover how much more a (well regulated) english action
can do for interpretation, at the cost of lightning repetition.  Even this
is only partially!

  true :

 english action does repeat very well if the pianist takes care to lift his
fingers high enough between two repetitions.  By the way, only a very small
part of repertoire really requires this lighning repetition.  Not even Liszt
does.

The good in Blüthner patent action is that it retains the qualities of
english action (direct stroke, no intermediate levers) while providing a
slight hammer raise by mean of a spring, but you don't feel the spring as it
is constantly engaged in the system.

 

Best regards.

 

Stéphane Collin.

 

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