PIANOFORTE JOHANN ANDREAS STEIN, AUGSBURG, 1786

From the 1780’s, Johann Andreas Stein largely determined the success of the piano in Germany and Vienna. He made elegant and slimline instruments, mostly finished in cherry wood. His Prell action (without backchecks for the hammers) was simple and functional. The hammer shanks hinged between wooden capstans and the small hammer heads only had 1 or 2 layers of thin leather. The keyboard was extremely light and had a touch-depth of only 4 to 5 mm. All of this resulted in a transparent sound that sounded articulately over the 5 octaves. The tone was clear and full of overtones. The use of knee levers to lift the dampers, was revolutionary at the time.

Technical data:

• Compass: FF - f'''
• Dimensions: L 216 cm / W 97 cm
• Case: cherry
• Keyboard: naturals in ebony, sharps in bone tops
• Action: Viennese with wooden capsels / hammers and dampers in leather
• Knee lever: damping