Fortepiano

Matthäus Andreas Stein, called André, was born in 1776 in Augsburg as the son of the renowned organ maker Johann Andreas Stein. André Stein's fortepiano from 1819 builds a bridge between the classical and the romantical period. Due to its compass and sound characteristics this instrument is ideally suited for Schubert's and his contemporaries' music. The instument has a Viennese action and it is designed with a long, curved rim at the bent side so that the cheek block appears rounded towards the keyboard. Clara Schumann used a piano with similar features playing her debut concert at the Gewandhaus in Leipzig. (rh/bd)

Lit.: Julius Schlosser: Die Sammlung alter Musikinstrumente. Beschreibendes Verzeichnis, Wien 1920.Victor Luithlen: Kunsthistorisches Museum. Katalog der Sammlung alter Musikinstrumente. Teil 1. Saitenklaviere, Wien 1966.Rudolf Hopfner: Masterpieces from the Collection of Historic Musical Instruments. A Short Guide through the Kunsthistorisches Museum Vienna, Vol. 1, Vienna 2019