The Ira F. Brilliant Center for Beethoven Studies
Replica of a Jean-Louis Dulcken Fortepiano from ca. 1795
Built by Janine and Paul Poletti in 1985
Gift to the Beethoven Center by Ira and Irma Brilliant
in memory of their daughter, Maxine (1952-1962)
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The instrument used as a model for the Center's fortepiano is located at the Smithsonian Institution. The fortepiano has a range of five octaves and five notes (or only 66 keys as opposed to our modern piano's 88) and can accommodate Beethoven's early period fortepiano works (and some sonatas from the middle period).
The case (which is more decorative than the Dulcken model) and its inner parts are made mostly of wood, including basswood, maple, mahogany, Swiss pear, lemonwood, cherry, walnut, spruce, beach, and poplar.
The fortepiano employs hammers to stike the strings with varying force, producing both loud ("forte") or soft ("piano") tones (thus the name, "fortepiano" or "pianoforte"). The hammers are covered in leather and the thin strings (comparable to harpsichord strings) run straight across a wooden sounding board, without support by a metal frame. On this fortepiano, knee levers rather than foot pedals are used to activate the dampers and moderator (or mute) stop.
The ebony keys are slightly shorter and narrower than the keys of our modern piano, so large intervals are easier to reach.
Patricia Stroh, the Beethoven Center's Curator, demonstrates the fortepiano for visitors
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© The Ira F. Brilliant Center for Beethoven Studies
San José State University