Castalia files: early music instruments, keyboard
"The Russell Collection has been given a Pianino on long-term loan by a private lender associated with the University of Edinburgh.
A pianino is an unusual little instrument with a keyboard and hammer action like a piano, but with balanced glass rods in place of strings. The instrument is signed "Patent / CHAPPELL & CO / 124 New Bond Street / London". It has a compass of only 3 octaves, and the piano hammers, arranged in two rows for the accidental and natural notes strike downwards instead of upwards as in a normal 'square' piano. The instrument is quite small: 22" x 22" x 7" (56cm x 56cm x 18cm) and it stands on what appears to be an original stand belonging to the instrument and probably made for it by the firm of Chappell & Co.
This firm was founded in 1810 by Samuel Chappell, Johann Baptist Cramer, and Francis Tatton Latour in London. The firm built pianos, these little pianinos, and also published music and produced concerts. Cranmer and Latour eventually left the firm and it was run from about 1830 entirely by Chappell and later by his descendants who carried on in business right into the 1970's. The furniture style of the instrument suggests that it was made in the period around 1815. Another similar instrument is in the musical instrument collection in the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. Only four such instruments are known to exist.
The instrument is both a curiosity and an interesting organological document. Because the sound is produced by glass rods instead of by strings, the pitch is very stable, and the tuning and temperament are completely permanent. For this reason it is hoped that, after a light cleaning to get rid of deposits on the glass rods, it will be possible to measure both the pitch of the instrument and perhaps even the temperament used. This should help to give us some idea of a very important aspect of performance practice in London at the beginning of the nineteenth century, and therefore and indication of how the stringed keyboard instruments of this period were tuned.
The loan of this instrument to the Russell Collection is extremely welcome, and I look forward to the investigation of its pitch and tuning. The instrument is kept in the entrance foyer at St Cecilia's Hall near the west staircase and Friends are most welcome to examine it."

- Dr Grant O'Brien
Curator