Greetings!

For a long month, January sure did fly by! I have to say that I’m kind of disappointed by the way 2010 has started, but it looks like another stellar year for new music. I now have four “Picks” on my homepage because there have been some incredible albums that have come in already this year, and I just had to have space for all of them. I’m working on reviews of two more CDs right now that are blowing me away, so that number could go to five before mid-February! I’m also working on several new interviews, so keep checking the site for new additions in coming weeks. We’re on a roll!

The first portable piano was designed in 1800 by John Isaac Hawkins of Philadelphia. It came with carrying handles and a fold-up keyboard.

Francis Hopkinson of Philadelphia published his Six Songs for the Harpsichord or Pianoforte in 1787, and claimed to be the first native American to produce a musical composition. He dedicated the pieces to George Washington.

Before 1740, building harpsichords and clavichords was a sideline for cabinet-makers. After 1740, the demand for keyboard instruments grew to the point that building the instruments could become an independent trade.

New Reviews: As I said, some incredible music has been coming in the past couple of months. I have lots of new reviews posted, including new releases by David Nevue (Revelation) and David Lanz (Liverpool)! Check ‘em out here!

British organists are given an income tax allowance for "frequent trouser replacement" because they wear out the seats of their pants from sliding around on the bench while pedaling.

Having a piano in the home started becoming fashionable in the 1790's.

Jonas Chickering (1796-1853) was the founder of a Boston firm that would become the first major American piano manufacturing success story. Chickering's pianos earned international praise and fame, and they were the first to introduce a design change that made American pianos distinctly different from European instruments: the use of the one-piece cast-iron frame.

New Interviews: I posted an interview with Ola Gjeilo this week that is a nice introduction to a fantastic young composer you might not have heard of yet. Mike Debbage and I both listed his debut CD Stone Rose as one of the best CDs of the decade, so take a look. I’m also working on interviews with George Skaroulis, Ludovico Einaudi, and Beverly Ritz, so stay tuned!

The Steinways began their careers in America working for other piano manufacturers, and learning American manufacturing techniques. By 1853, they regrouped to form Steinway and Sons, and began to make square pianos.

Dwight H. Baldwin was a music teacher from Cincinnati, Ohio. He was 41 when he decided to leave the teaching profession to start selling the pianos he had so often recommended to his students.

Ignaz Moscheles was probably the first person to ever play a full concert of piano music only. He did this in England in 1837. If he wasn't the first pianist to do this in the world, his was at least the first full piano concert in England.

House Concerts: I’m getting geared up to start my house concerts again for 2010. The first one will be March 20 with Beverly Ritz. This will be a very special event, as it will also be a fund-raiser for the people of Haiti. Beverly has released three CDs so far, and is currently living near the Oregon/California border. She hopes to move to Florence before long, so this will be a fun and inspiring evening of original music and familiar songs. It also looks like George Skaroulis will be coming in April, and what a treat that will be! George and I have been friends for a long time, and he’ll be traveling from Atlanta to attend a conference out here, so we decided it would be a great time to do the house concert we’ve been trying to arrange for several years. I plan to interview both of these artists in coming weeks, so you’ll have a chance to get to know them better before they come.

Before the 1830's, it was unheard of for a performer to base his or her performance on the work of another composer.

The first concert we know of in the United States took place in Boston on December 30, 1731. New York's first traceable concert was in January 1736.

The first Steinway piano was made in the kitchen of founder Henry Steinweg in Seesen, Germany, in 1836. (He changed the family name to Steinway when he emigrated to the US in 1850.

Birthday: Happy Birthday to my student, Cora Concannon, who will be lucky 13 on the 3rd! She will be celebrating by “going to jail.” She and her friend, Sarah, and her parents are going to tour Alcatraz. Should be fun!

Louisa Catherine Adams, the wife of John Quincy Adams, played both piano and harp. Her piano is the earliest surviving White House piano, and is on exhibit at the Smithsonian Institution.

When he died, Glenn Gould, one of the greatest pianists of all time, left half of his estate to the ASPCA, and the other half to the Salvation Army.

Viennese pianos of the 1790’s had a range of five octaves, from F 2 1/2 octaves below middle C to F 2 1/2 octaves above middle C. All of Mozart’s and most of Haydn’s piano music are contained within this range, as is Beethoven’s music until 1804.

California Visit: As soon as the weather warms up a bit, I’ll be making the trip back to Hercules that I wasn’t able to make last year. I need to do some work in my front yard down there to replace the trees that had to be taken down after the storm last fall. I hope to see as many friends as I can, so I’ll keep you posted on dates.

Spruce is used for most pianos’ sound boards because of its wonderful resonance. On cheap pianos, the soundboards are often made of plywood.

Liberace wore a gold artificial fingernail that had a candelabra engraved in it.

In 1910, the US manufactured 360,000 pianos; Germany made 150,000; Britain made 75,000; and France made 25,000. This is considered to be the peak of the piano’s popularity.

New Student: I have a new online adult student to welcome to the group! Michael Lopez from South Florida will be starting lessons on Groundhog Day. Welcome, Michael!

There were more than 300 piano teachers in Vienna in 1799.

There is actually an injury called “glissando thumb” caused by pianists sliding their thumbs up and down the keyboard too often.

The term “grand” didn’t come into use until 1777. The early upright pianos were called “giraffes.”

Well, I think that’s all of the news for the February issue! Have a great month and have a Happy Valentine’s Day!

Kathy