In this story of the evolution of the piano we have seen how, from its primitive beginning, it has become the one splendid instrument that is capable of representing the effect of a full orchestra. Before the death of Beethoven he realized the tremendous power of the piano and displayed its resources in a manner undreamed of by Haydn. Could these old masters return today and sit at one of the splendid productions of the twentieth century they would be dumb with amazement and entirely at a loss as to how to handle the enormous range of seven and a third octaves. Best of all, the price is such that some style of modern piano is within the reach of nearly every one. Music in the home is now the rule, not the exception.
Leigh Hunt has well expressed the feeling of all piano lovers in these verses, which are full of sentiment:
Oh, friend, whom glad or gay we seek, Heaven-holding shrine; I ope thee, touch thee, hear thee speak, And peace is mine. No fairy casket full of bliss, Outvalues thee; Love only, wakened with a kiss More sweet may be.
To thee, when our full hearts o'erflow, In griefs or joys Unspeakable, emotions owe A fitting voice. Mirth flees to thee, and loves unrest, And memory dear, And sorrow, with his tightened breast Comes for a tear.
Oh, since few joys of human mould, Thus wait us still, Thrice blessed be thine, thou gentle fold Of peace at will. No change, no sullenness, no cheat In thee we find; Thy saddest voice is ever sweet, Thine answer kind.
The following typographical errors have been corrected:
"Stien," "Stiens," and "Stienert" have been changed to "Stein," "Steins," and "Steinert" in a number of places throughout the text.
The incorrect page number in the list of illustrations for the Charles Albrecht piano illustration has been changed.]
End of Project Gutenberg's How the Piano Came to Be, by Ellye Howell Glover