The sound of a fortepiano does not envelop or overwhelm, as its modern-day successor is apt to do. Rather, like a seductively faint perfume, it invites one into a private, intimate sphere. All of a sudden, music of Clementi, Dussek, and so many other neglected composers becomes not only explicable, but inevitable.

A square piano (c. 1815) by American maker John Osborn (c. 1792-1835).

What would it be like to hear vibrato coming from a keyboard? Or to play fast passages effortlessly on the shallow keys of an 18th-century fortepiano? Or perhaps to pedal with one's knee? All these novelties and more are waiting to be experienced at the Museum of the American Piano. Located downtown on Broadway near Chambers Street, this small museum is a veritable treasure, the only such collection in the city and one of few in the United States.

The museum welcomes visitors to examine its many original and replica instruments, including a clavichord, a spinet, a 1796 Clementi square grand, and an 1804 Broadwood grand. See what it is like to play Mozart on Mozart's own favorite kind of piano, or hear a Beethoven sonata the way he would have heard it. Suddenly tempos cannot possibly be so slow, because the sound dies away much more quickly; high voices sing out much more melodically and lower voices rumble dramatically. One catches a glimpse into composers' minds and begins to sense how music has grown out of the nuances of these old instruments. In addition, the museum offers courses on such diverse topics as tuning, repair, woodworking, piano rebuilding, and the mechanics of the instrument. Students are invited to see instruments disassembled and reassembled in lecture demonstrations.

An ideal time to visit this museum will be during the week of November 22-29, when it will be hosting an Early Keyboard Music Week. This will feature tours of the museum, concerts, master classes, and lectures. Kenneth Cooper will play a harpsichord recital on Friday, November 22 at 7 p.m. and will present a master class the following day at 10:30 a.m. Our own Audrey Axinn will be offering a concert on Saturday, November 23 at 7 p.m., as well as a master class the following day at 10 a.m. (Check the museum's Web site, listed at the end of this article, for an up-to-date schedule, as events are being added daily.) I recently had the opportunity to hear Ms. Axinn, a faculty member who coaches chamber music on the fortepiano here at Juilliard, perform two Clementi sonatas on a square piano produced by the composer's own factory, and found her to be an exquisitely sensitive performer, as well as one exceptionally well versed in the intricacies of piano history. I fully expect both concert and class to be full of insights and of interest to both the early music aficionado and the more casual auditor.

The museum itself opened in 1984, and is led by executive director Kalman Detrich. It focuses specifically on American pianos, exploring the historical development of the instruments, as well as their relation to popular culture. As the piano was both a status symbol and a center of family entertainment, production of these instruments was a significant industry and a source of employment for many immigrants. In the mid-19th century, at a time when American composers and musicians were largely snubbed by their European counterparts, the American piano was recognized as better than any European model.

While the early-music movement is gaining strength in many cities, and particularly throughout Europe, it is noticeably slower in New York. "Concert halls [here] are too big and the sound is too cold," Axinn explains. "Early music needs more intimate halls." She adds that early-music performances tend to sound better in churches and smaller halls that are off the beaten track, and the public may not be as aware of these venues as they are of the main concert halls.

Through the efforts of Axinn, Detrich, Cooper, and many others, early music is gaining a foothold here. Still, the museum and the upcoming Early Keyboard Week currently are local rarities and certainly not to be missed. More information about the museum's events can be found on its Web site, at www.museumforpianos.org. The museum, at 291 Broadway, near Chambers Street, is open from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. on weekdays and Saturdays for self-guided tours. Admission is $8 for adults; $5 for students, seniors, and members. Guided tours and demonstrations are available by appointment at $16 for adults and $9 for students, seniors, and members.