Fortepiano (“kitchen grand”; copy by Chris Maene)

Heinrich Engelhard Steinweg (1797-1871)
Seesen (Ruiselede)
1836 (2006)
Chris Maene Collection, www.chrismaenecollection.com, inv. no. CM 61 255 

According to tradition, Heinrich Engelhard Steinweg (1797-1871) built his first grand piano in the kitchen of his home in Seesen. This grand piano is now owned by Steinway & Sons in New York. In 2006, piano maker Chris Maene made a copy of the instrument: It was precisely measured with the help of an X-ray machine. The University of Liège carried out a dendrochronological study to determine the type and age of the wood. Finally, Chris Maene drew up a construction plan for the grand piano in his workshop in Ruiselede and built the copy. 

Like the “op. 1” square piano, the ‘kitchen grand’ is a purely wooden construction. The case, lid and legs, as well as the soundboard are made of solid spruce. The veneer is made of Cuban mahogany, decorated with maple inlays and covered with hand-polished shellac. The grand piano has straight strings and is equipped with a so-called “Viennese action”. The hammer heads are covered in leather, as was customary at the time. In addition to the two pedals of the original, which can cancel the damping or produce a soft sound – a ‘piano’ – by shifting the keyboard (“una corda”), Chris Maene's copy has a third pedal, the “moderator”. When it is pressed, a piece of felt is pushed between the hammers and strings, which dampens the sound.