By AUDREY AXINN

Three chamber music groups have been exploring Classical performance practice this semester, using a fortepiano instead of a modern piano in their ensembles. They will present the results of their efforts in a performance of chamber music with fortepiano on December 12 at 6 p.m. in Morse Hall.

“The [fortepiano’s] sound in the lower register almost gives a scent of the earth, the dust and dirt of Germany. The higher register can sound so pure and religious.”

Juilliard's fortepiano, built by Belgian builder Chris Maene, is a reproduction of an instrument built in 1795 by 18th-century Viennese piano builder Anton Walter. Walter (1752-1826) was one of the first Viennese piano builders. Harpsichords and clavichords were the usual home keyboard instruments until the 1770s throughout Europe. By the 1780s, Vienna had emerged as the world's piano-building center. Walter, along with married couple Andreas and Nannette Streicher, both enjoyed and had a role in creating the first explosion of the piano's popularity, supplying instruments to everyone who could afford them in piano-happy Vienna. Mozart obtained a five-octave Walter piano in the mid-1780s, on which he composed and performed his mature piano concerti. Beethoven purchased a Walter piano sometime before 1800. Beethoven was not a very loyal customer to any one piano firm. He went on to own pianos built by Erard, Broadwood, Schanz, Graf, and, most likely, Streicher. Between his switching back and forth between Viennese- and English-style pianos and his ever-increasing hearing loss, making generalizations about what Beethoven wanted from a piano is treacherous territory. But one can say with confidence that as late as the Third Piano Concerto, Op. 37 (1803), Beethoven's piano works were designed around an instrument much like the one at Juilliard in Room 573.

Late 18th-century Viennese fortepianos are characterized by an all-wooden frame; thin iron strings; small, leather-covered wooden hammers; knee levers in place of pedals; and a five-octave range, with narrower keys and a shallower key dip than a modern piano. One could describe a Mozart-era piano as essentially a harpsichord with hammers. The fortepiano's sound is thin, focused, and fast-decaying. The instrument has a sharp attack, excelling at all the articulation marks—the slurs, accents, portamenti, etc.—with which the Viennese Classical repertoire is absolutely littered. The treble, middle, and bass are designed to have very different timbres, enhancing the drama of leaps and changes of register. Yuko Izuhara, who will be performing Beethoven's "Spring" Sonata with violinist Erik Carlson, explains: "The sound in the lower register almost gives a scent of the earth, the dust and dirt of Germany. The higher register can sound so pure and religious." While the modern piano has much more volume, a fortissimo or a sforzando on the fortepiano can be more dramatic, because the attack is so strong and fast. Yuko continues: "Sudden emotional and dramatic changes, and how Beethoven was such a difficult person, can be expressed without extra effort on the fortepiano."

When playing on a fortepiano at first, pianists often lament the absence of a round, singing tone. But it is that absence that nudges players into exploring the expressive hallmarks of the Classical language: articulation and rhetorical timing. Roger Luo, who will perform Mozart's Concerto in C Major, Op. 467, explains: "Your fingers have to be more sensitive on the fortepiano. There is a smaller range of color, so you have to compensate with expressive timing. Playing on the fortepiano helps me to play better on the modern piano because I'm paying more attention to all the details."

Chamber Music With Fortepiano Morse Hall Friday, Dec. 12, 6 p.m. Free; no tickets are required.

For most players, the reason period instruments can be so exciting is that they help define the vocabulary and language of an era. Playing a period instrument can be a wonderful opportunity to explore how to be expressive within the Classical style, by virtue of what the instrument can and cannot do. The de-emphasizing of beautiful tone and long lines forces players to focus on other ways to be expressive, and much of the heightened rhythmic vitality, expressive timing, and expressive articulation can be transferred over to the modern piano if the performer chooses. Singer Nils Neubert, who will perform Schubert Lieder on the program, states: "What I enjoy a lot about this work is that we are forced to set aside our preconceptions about tempo and sonorities. In many cases one gets to know a song again, in a completely different light, and that is so refreshing. I don't prefer the fortepiano over the modern piano; I simply enjoy having the opportunity to experiment in both worlds and see these two worlds start to influence each other in my work."

As someone who has been playing a period instrument for several years, I know that one of the most striking changes in my perception of the Classical style is how much freedom the language contains. The common misunderstanding about performance practice is that it is preoccupied with rules, and performances are overly intellectual. Good stylistic performances are daring and dramatic and surprisingly free. Intimate knowledge of the style helps to reveal the daring and risk inherent in the language. Jeannette Fang, who will perform Schubert Lieder with Nils, sums it up: "Playing the fortepiano makes me listen much more acutely. Hence, all this freedom results from the observation of miniscule detail."

Audrey Axinn teaches in the chamber music and collaborative piano departments.