Topic: Straight Strung Chickering and Chris Maene FXPs
https://forum.modartt.com/file/7967n2ul
https://forum.modartt.com/file/dk2rledc
Over the in the FXP Corner, I've put up a pair of examples of "straight strung" concert grands (sometimes also called "bird cage pianos"). One is an American Chickering 33B grand from the 1850s (probably from 1850), and the other is a modern Belgian Chris Maene CM284 concert grand from 2018/2019.
With Pianoteq's engine, achieving the feel of straight-strung instruments is a little harder to achieve than I expected. Without the cross-over designed by Steinway, the instruments are generally clearer and quieter with less resonance, but in designing the presets, I couldn't achieve the right sound by eliminating the Sympathetic Resonance and Duplex Scaling but only by diminishing them significantly. While it's very likely that some of the Kremsegg instruments, like the 1849 Erard, are straight strung, they also pre-date the design innovations of Chickering which including the more modern harp designs and other innovations that Steinway borrowed in his early Model A and D, which gives them a much more contemporary sound than the Erard from the same year. Because of this, I opted for the 1924 Erard (which is overstrung) which fit very well to match the sound of the 33B Chickering grand I came across recently.
Chickering was the main American piano maker before Steinway, and Steinway used a lot of the design innovations of Chickering in their own early instruments. Prior to coming to American, Steinway was better known for his square pianos (and yes I'd love some more historical square piano options in PTQ for historical performance and experimentation) and in designing new instruments borrowed the single piece cast iron harp and the overstringing of bass strings across the most resonant part of the soundboard and under sympathetic strings, which are much of the basis of the modern piano design and sound.
Chickering continued to manufacture pianos until 1908 when they became part of the American Piano Company (Ampico), and in later years Chickerings were made by Wurlitzer (who made my former 1928 upright) and then by Baldwin. After 1983, no new Chickerings have been made, and I would assume--like Baldwin--the marque is owned by Gibson.
Chris Maene specialize in creating new historical instruments (copies of Beethoven's Erard Pianoforte, an 1817 Broadwood Pianoforte, an 1849 Pleyel Concert Grand, etc.) and in a modern design of Straight Strung Concert Grand for historical performance. Originally the Concert Grand was commissioned by Daniel Barenboim (unveiled in 2015 I believe) and is featured in several of his Deutsche Gramaphone albums (one Debussy solo album and a chamber album), and the instrument and several variations (a Chamber Grand of 250cm and Parlor Grand of 228cm) are now in general production and circulation throughout Europe since 2018. There are a few recordings and concerts already on these instruments, and they have a very nice sound with a noticeably different touch than most grands. All of the CM series are 90 keys from GGG to c'''', similar to some of the Imperial line from Bösendorfer.
Both the Chickering and Chris Maene also have significantly more damper travel the overstrung instruments which changes the tone and sustain pedal response. While I miss the "rumble of the piano" that the Russian school of playing and my own technique depends on (my favorite statement on Russian technique was from Vadim Monastyrski "любите рояля гул" or "love the rumble of the piano"), I really enjoy these presets for Scandinavian, early German, and French music on both of these straight-strung instruments--like Stenhammar, Wiklund, Schumann, Mendelssohn, Alkan, and Chopin.
Video of the making of the Chris Maene https://youtu.be/CO7xWoIRrE0
More about Chickering: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chickering_%26_Sons
More on straight-strung vs overstrung: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cross-stringing
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