The Heinrich Concert Friday

Prof. Stanley's lecture last evening in Music hall on "The Pianoforte" was highly enjoyed by all present. Tlie talk, though complete and adequate itself, was increased in interest by the exhibition on the platform of all the various parts of the pianoforte. Tvvo pianos, a grand and an upright, vvere completely dissected and the parts shown and explained to the audience. The harp, the sounding board, the key-board, with all its accessories, and a single key with hammer, clamper, mufrler and its complete action, were separately vievved and discussed. The wonderful minuteness and dehcacy of mechanisme in the coirsa'uctiü:' uf the hammer and its appurtenances is simply marvelous to the uninitiated. The principie of the piano is a combination of strings stretched over a sonnding-board with a medium for setting the strings in motion. The nearest hints among the ancients to the modern pianos were the Egyptian lyre and the Assyrian Azor, but the immediate predecessors of the piano were the clavichord, or spinet, and the harpscichord. The principie of these is the same as the piano but the tone was not sustained. The speaker had drawings to illustrate the action of these ïnstruments and to compare the same with that of the piano. Bach, the lirst of the great masters, composed for the harpsichord and this gives his music its peculiar feature. In 171 r an Italian constructed a crude pianoforte but its invention is usually assigned to Schroder, of Saxony, in 17 17. The piano is an instrument of greater possibilities than the violin. It is nol so much a part of the personality of the performer as the violin is, that is, the insfrument and performer are not In such close communion, but where this relation is closest 'there is the most perfect touch and technique. Some ot the latest improvements in the piano have been made by Americans and among these tors Messrs. Steinway and ChiChering hold first rank. The tonner perfected the iroa harp-frame, givïng to it the requisite st-rength and resonance. Few persons would think that the strain on the piano frame is 60,000 pounds. Theintroduction of the piano was the beginning of modern music and to this penod belong the great masters. Many lingered alter the lecture to inspect more closely the parts of the piano.