Breaking moulds: A seven-octave Clementi & CO piano from 1812 Authors Joan Josep Gutiérrez Yzquierdo Associació Muzio Clementi de Barcelona Keywords: piano keyboard compass, pianoforte evolution, Muzio Clementi, upright grand, period pianos, musical instrument construction, organology Abstract The standardisation of the piano compass in seven octaves and three keys (88 keys) began in the last third of the 19th century. This growth, although unstoppable since Bartolomeo Cristofori’s invention at the beginning of the 18th century, was both progressive and irregular. The experiments followed one after the other and piled up in dialogue with a society avid for musical consumption, with the demands of composers, and with competition and collaboration between the builders themselves, who were trying to make their way in an absolutely growing market. In the narrative of history, it is advisable to stop to observe and analyse the special cases that stand out or apart from the mainstream. By doing this one may explore other facts and not automatically give credence to a single oft-repeated assertion. In this article we discuss an upright piano from Clementi & Co which is found in Spain and which stands ahead of the usually accepted evolution of the keyboard compass in England. Downloads PDF Published 2023-11-30 Issue Vol. 16 (2023) Section Articles License The intellectual property of the articles belongs to the respective authors. At the time of submitting the articles to Revista Catalana de Musicologia, authors accept the following terms: — Authors assign to the Societat Catalana de Musicologia (a subsidiary of the Institut d’Estudis Catalans) the rights of reproduction, public communication (including communication through social networks) and distribution of the articles submitted for publication to Revista Catalana de Musicologia, in any form and medium, including digital platforms. The Publications Committee reserves the right to accept or refuse submitted articles and the right to make any editorial changes it deems appropriate. If the suggested changes are accepted by authors, they should re-submit the article with such changes. — Authors answer to the Societat Catalana de Musicologia for the authorship and originality of submitted articles. In other words, authors assure that submitted articles do not contain fragments of works by other authors or fragments of their own previously published works; that the content of articles is original, and that the copyright of third parties is not infringed upon. Authors accept this responsibility and undertake to hold harmless the Societat Catalana de Musicologia for any loss or damage resulting from non-compliance with this obligation. Furthermore, they should include a statement in articles submitted to the journal regarding their responsibility for the content of the articles. — Authors are responsible for obtaining permission for the reproduction of all graphic material included in articles, and they should moreover ensure that images, videos, etc., have been created with the consent of the individuals appearing in them, and that material belonging to third parties is clearly identified and acknowledged as such within the text. Likewise, authors should provide the respective consents and authorisations to the Societat Catalana de Musicologia when submitting articles. — The Societat Catalana de Musicologia is exempt from any liability arising from the possible infringement of intellectual property rights by authors. In all cases, it undertakes to publish corrections, clarifications, retractions and apologies, if necessary. — Unless otherwise stated in the text or in the graphic material, the contents published in the journal are subject to an Attribution - NonCommercial - NoDerivs 3.0 Spain (by-nc-nd) license from Creative Commons, the full text of which may be consulted at https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/es/deed.en. Therefore, the general public is authorised to reproduce, distribute and communicate articles as long as their authorship and publishing entity are acknowledged, and no commercial use is made of them nor derivative work produced from them. — The journal is not responsible for the ideas and opinions expressed by the authors of published articles.
