The piano was presented during a lecture on November 9 as part of the lecture "The 'female' piano or the 'male' piano."
Man enters into various relations with the objects around him by "incarnating" in them in different ways every day. Through the question of the "corporeality" of objects, we are confronted with another one concerning the "sexuality" of an extraordinary artifact such as the piano. It is the reflection on the "femininity" and "masculinity" of the instrument that will determine the direction of our musical and intellectual journey during the third meeting in the series. We will hear both music considered "feminine" in the 19th century, as well as "masculine" pieces. What's behind it? - This question will be "answered" by a piano from 1842 produced by the Danzig-based maker Jacob Berndhard Wiszniewski.
Instrument characteristics:
Instrument manufactured in Gdansk in the workshop of J. B. Wiszniewski. Straight-strung with Viennese mechanics, frame damper. Lyre equipped with two pedals: muffler lifter and una corda. Piano equipped with half-metal frame, low-voltage iron string tension, 6 and 1/2-octave keyboard (C1-a4). Veneered in mahogany, all its structural and case elements are original, including the keyboard veneer - ivory and ebony.
Dimensions: 216 cm x 140 cm x 96.
The Vishnevsky family, in addition to their civic virtues - as befitted the Gdansk bourgeoisie - was famous for introducing numerous improvements to the construction of the piano. They presented their products, among others, at exhibitions in Berlin and Gdansk.
The instrument comes from the Piano and Pianos Workshop of Andrzej Wlodarczyk from Slupno near Radzymin.
The Association of Polish Piano Tuners is implementing the project "Polish Piano. Art - Science - Craft" subsidized by the National Institute of Music and Dance under Investment A2.5.1 Program to support the activities of entities of the cultural and creative industries to stimulate their development within the framework of the National Plan for Reconstruction and Increasing Resilience. The amount of funding is PLN 81,992.
