A euphonicon is a variety of upright

piano A piano is a keyboard instrument that produces sound when its keys are depressed, activating an Action (music), action mechanism where hammers strike String (music), strings. Modern pianos have a row of 88 black and white keys, tuned to a c ...

. The distinguishing feature of the euphonicon is that the iron harp frame projects from the body on the left, such that the bass strings are open to view. It also has unusual stringing and tuning arrangements, and an early example of drop-action. Rather than a single soundboard, it has three soundbases which imitate the appearance of the

cello The violoncello ( , ), commonly abbreviated as cello ( ), is a middle pitched bowed (sometimes pizzicato, plucked and occasionally col legno, hit) string instrument of the violin family. Its four strings are usually intonation (music), tuned i ...

(behind the bass strings),

viola The viola ( , () ) is a string instrument of the violin family, and is usually bowed when played. Violas are slightly larger than violins, and have a lower and deeper sound. Since the 18th century, it has been the middle or alto voice of the ...

(behind the tenor strings) and

violin The violin, sometimes referred to as a fiddle, is a wooden chordophone, and is the smallest, and thus highest-pitched instrument (soprano) in regular use in the violin family. Smaller violin-type instruments exist, including the violino picc ...

(behind the treble strings). Although the euphonicon resembles a harp piano ( claviharp) in appearance, the action strikes strings with hammers rather than plucking them. The euphonicon was invented by John Steward, Wolverhampton, in 1841 (patent no. 9023, granted in 1841) and manufactured by Frederick Beale and Company. It was never popular, but a number of examples exist in good condition in museum collections. An instrument advertised in Sydney as " Royal Patent Grand Pianoforte Euphonicon" with a

compass A compass is a device that shows the cardinal directions used for navigation and geographic orientation. It commonly consists of a magnetized needle or other element, such as a compass card or compass rose, which can pivot to align itself with No ...

of seven octaves, C to C, was described as :"the instrument which attracted the universal attention of the musical world at the Great Exhibition . . . (having) the full length string of the horizontal grand without occupying more space than a semi-cottage . . . the richest quality of tone and elasticity of touch, (and) scarcely ever going out of tune, the atmosphere having no effect upon it."

References

Kenneth Mobbs, "Euphonicon". Robert Palmieri, ed. ''The Piano: An encyclopedia (Encyclopedia of Keyboard Instruments)'', 2nd edition. Routledge, August 11, 2003. . "Euphonicon". David Crombie. ''Piano: A photographic history of the world's most celebrated instrument''. Backbeat Books, September 1995. .

External links

Digital Piano

Early Pianos Online
A searchable, interactive database of over 9000 pianos built before 1860.
Euphonicon Piano
(

Victoria and Albert Museum The Victoria and Albert Museum (abbreviated V&A) in London is the world's largest museum of applied arts, decorative arts and design, housing a permanent collection of over 2.8 million objects. It was founded in 1852 and named after Queen ...

)
Euphonicon
(University of Edinburgh Collection of Historic Musical Instruments)
5a Piano collection, Euphonicon, 825F
(photograph of a euphonicon in the Deutsches Museum, Munich) Piano {{Zither-instrument-stub

See also

References

External links