Silver Sounds from a Velvet Hand: In Search of Chopin's Sound World on Period and Contemporary Pianos

Abstract

This submission for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy at the Elder Conservatorium of Music, University of Adelaide, takes the form of a portfolio of recorded performances accompanied by an extended exegesis. The primary focus of this performance-based doctoral investigation has been to evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of performing the music of Fryderyk Chopin on period and contemporary pianos, through a series of two- and three-way comparisons of works recorded on an original c. 1846 Pleyel, a c. 1819 Graf (replica by Paul McNulty), a 2016 Bösendorfer VC and a 2010 Steinway D-274. The performance component of the submission encompasses around three hours of repertoire, including selected Nocturnes, Mazurkas, Preludes, Études, and Waltzes, alongside the Scherzo in B minor, Op. 20, the Fantaisie in F minor, Op. 49, and the Concerto in F minor, Op. 21. Throughout the exegesis, experiential insights from the recording process are used to prove or disprove assertions and assumptions in the existing literature, addressing a significant lacuna in Chopin scholarship at the crossroads of performance practice, musicology and organology. Key areas of interrogation include: the relationship between tempi and metronome markings; the notation of arpeggiation, legato and the damper pedal; and Chopin’s use of Pleyel’s ‘silver’ register as a defining aspect of his compositional aesthetic. Variances in touchweight, key-dip, ergonomics, resonance and register characteristics are examined in an attempt to elucidate the extent to which Chopin’s compositional output was influenced by the biodiversity of keyboard instruments of his time, and what modern pianists can learn from these historical instruments today.