Schumann's 78 Key Piano

This piano was built in 1828.

It has not been restored or rebuilt.

So it's very different from the pianos that we're accustomed to today.

For one thing, there aren't 88 keys on this piano.

There's several left off here in the base, three and seven left off in the treble.

So there are 78 keys in the piano and the central differences on the inside.

There's no cast iron play.

The piano is considerably less resonant, more challenging to sustain sounds.

Right.

It looks very different inside.

And so this would have been like new for the time.

Yes.

This is cutting edge technology.

For the Schumann's in a sense.

Another feature of it I noticed as I tried it was is that a damper pedal here is actually quite noisy.

So it's a challenge to play it and even be more of a challenge to play with this piano.

This is the A.

Tell me what you think of it.

Wow.

It's low.

So low.

It's almost painful.

Yeah.

Yes.

Would it be okay if I, if I try to play a few notes and it's sure.

Yeah.

I'm so interested in... ♪♪ The sound is so beautiful, but it's really, really hard to play, I have to admit.

Valentino, you are a really impressive pianist for a cellist.

It would be really nice if we could all play Schumann's Quintet because we could hear it the way Schumann heard it when he wrote it.

Yes.

Let's try!

It'll be challenging.

♪♪