Roots in Ripon
21 March 2016
Chuck
Roots
New 88s!
About this time last year those
of us who are board members of the Ripon Arts League (RAL) agreed that a new
piano was definitely needed for future RAL performances, and was, in fact, long
overdue. The piano we’ve had for the past thirty-odd years (and showed it!) was
in fact built in 1921. It had served us well. However, when our piano tuner
said he no longer wished to tune the old gal because the pegs and tuning board
were simply worn out, we knew we had to take action.
We put out the word to our RAL
members that we were going to actively raise money for a new piano. We selected
a brand new Yamaha Baby Grand (5 feet in length). The cost was a hefty eighteen
grand. We gave ourselves a year to garner the funds. However, within less than
six months we had raised twelve thousand. Shortly after, an anonymous donner
presented us with a check for six thousand to complete the amount needed.
Wishing to express our thanks to
those individuals who helped us reach our goal so quickly, we decided to have a
“piano dedication.” We arranged for a private performance for anyone who had
contributed toward the piano, whether it was $5.00, or $6,000.00. So we held
the performance recently on a Sunday afternoon in the same facility we host our
five yearly concerts – the Ripon High School multi-purpose room. Round tables
and chairs were set out for the 150 or so guests. Each table had a covering,
with a center piece displaying a piano motif. Cake and coffee was made
available at the end of the concert. But it was the concert that was absolutely
riveting.
This Sunday afternoon two-hour
soiree began with the Gottschalks Music Center Concert Band of 35 members under
the direction of Mr. Matt Cover performing the first half of the program. After
a brief intermission, the second half highlighted the new midnight black Yamaha
Baby Grand. Our guest pianist was Dr. John H. Hillebrandt who has been
performing with the Modesto Symphony for many years, delighting audiences in
over 500 performances.
Backed by the Gottschalk’s Concert
Band, John launched into the classic George Gershwin, “Rhapsody in Blue.” This
amazing musical piece certainly features the piano, allowing the pianist to put
the 88 keys through their paces. The ebb and flow of the music fairly carries
the listener to another realm in a wave of symphonic ecstasy. At the climatic
conclusion the audience roared their approval punctuated by a standing ovation.
Folks stood around afterward
with cake-on-a-plate and coffee discussing the veritable revelry of having
heard not simply a new piano being dedicated, but a masterful performance by a
masterful pianist. After all the band instruments were returned to their cases,
and the new Yamaha Baby Grand was covered and secured in the adjoining room off
stage, the shared feeling by those in attendance was that no one wanted the
afternoon to end.
Since the president of the RAL,
Kit Oase, was out of town, I, as vice president of the RAL, was asked to be the
emcee for this event. Well, even though I grew up hearing my mother play almost
daily on her “Living Room” Grand Piano, in thinking about it, I realized I knew
next to nothing about pianos and their history. So, I put on my researchers hat
(figuratively speaking) and had oodles of fun discovering interesting trivia about
the piano.
I learned that the first piano
made was in Padua, Italy in 1700 by Bartolomeo Cristofori. In fact, the first
name for the piano was “un cimbalo di cipresso di piano e forte,” when
translated, means, “a keyboard of cypress with loud and soft.” It was later
shortened to pianoforte, or fortepiano, and then simply, piano. The last part
of this article will be a description of exactly what produces the sound when a
key is pressed on a piano. Though not written originally to be humorous, I
found myself laughing out loud when I read it. Even with my fairly extensive
musical background I had no idea what the writer of this piece was trying to
say. I shared it with our audience, many of whom are very musically astute. As
I read it, folks began chuckling to the point that when I finished, the
audience was laughing out loud. Here it is:
“When the key is struck, a chain reaction occurs to
produce the sound. First, the key raises the wippen, which forces the jack
against the hammer roller (or knuckle). The hammer roller then
lifts the lever carrying the hammer. The key also raises the damper; and
immediately after the hammer strikes the wire it falls back, allowing the wire
to resonate. When the key is released the damper falls back onto the strings, stopping
the wire from vibrating. The vibrating piano strings themselves are not
very loud, but their vibrations are transmitted to a large soundboard that
moves air and thus converts the energy to sound. The irregular shape and
off-center placement of the bridge ensure that the soundboard vibrates strongly
at all frequencies.”
I wish you could have joined us.
It was a memorable evening.
If you’d enjoy hearing our new
piano, simply join the RAL. The annual price is $30.00 which covers all five of
our concerts. Call my cell phone (209) 604-1415, or text, or send me an email
at Roots66@verizon.net, and I’ll be
more than happy to see that you get signed up.
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