on the pianoforte being a great blemish as it is so unnecessary.
The following passage illustrates the above points.
[Footnote 216: It is understood that all the comments are based
on the action of a concert-grand pianoforte, since on an upright
or a square—because of mechanical limitations of space—the
effects are quite different.]
[Footnote 217: In this connection, even at the risk of seeming
to preach, let the advice be given thatnothingshould ever be
put on top of a grand pianoforte: neither flowers, afternoon
tea-sets, bird-cages, books, nor even an aquarium! For the lid
is not merely a cover, but an additional sounding-board, and
must always be in readiness to be so used. The pianoforte as
a coloristic instrument, in short, is completely itselfonlywhen
played with the lid raised.]
[Music: CHOPIN:Barcarolle]
There is really no such thing on the pianoforte as a “pure” sin-
gle tone. It is an acoustical law that no tone exists by itself,
but always generates a whole series of overtones[218] or “upper
partials,” as they are called,e.g.
[Music]
[Footnote 218: An instrument designed to reinforce these up-
per tones, so that they may be clearly heard, is to be found in
any Physical Laboratory. That these tones really vibrate “sym-
pathetically” may be proved by strikingff [Transcriber’s Note:
Music example indicatessf] this note [Music: C2 With damper
pedal] and then pressing downvery lightly the keys of G and
E just above middle C, thus removing the individual dampers
of these notes. In a quiet room the tones are distinctly audi-
ble. For another rewarding experiment of the same nature, see
the Introduction to the first volume of Arthur Whiting’sPedal
Studiesand the well-known treatise of Helmholtz.]
Even what we call the perfectly consonant chord of C major,
e.g., [Music] would be slightly qualified and colored by the B-
flat, and this effect has actually been utilized by Chopin in the
final cadence of his Prelude in F major, No. 23,e.g.
[Music]
In this example the E-flat must be very delicately accented and
bothpedals freely used.