The fortepiano, an early version of the piano, had hammer heads covered in soft leather and lacked a steel frame, resulting in a more rapid attack and quicker decay of notes compared to modern pianos.
Compositional Technique
19th-century fortepianos often featured unique pedals like the 'moderator' for ethereal sounds, the 'bassoon' pedal for a buzzing effect, and even a 'Janissary stop' that mimicked a kettledrum, bell, and buzzing simultaneously.
Composer Biography
Ferdinando Carulli, an Italian guitarist and composer, was highly prolific and entrepreneurial, arranging 12 Rossini overtures for various instrument combinations, including guitar and fortepiano.
Instruments
The fortepiano used on this recording is a copy of an instrument by Louis Dulcken, a renowned 'court mechanical piano maker' from Munich in the early 19th century.
Interpretation
The performers, Sheila Arnold (fortepiano) and Alexander-Sergei Ramírez (romantic guitar), chose period instruments because modern instruments created an imbalance in sound that made the music unplayable.
Instruments
The guitar used is a copy of a 'Romantic guitar' by Johann Georg Stauffer, a key luthier of the 'Vienna School' who introduced innovations like the arched back and machine head.
Cultural Impact
Johann Georg Stauffer, a prominent guitar luthier, developed the arpeggione in 1823, an instrument for which Franz Schubert composed his famous Arpeggione Sonata.
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