PIANOFORTE
VERTICAL

In the history of the piano, the persistent aspiration of many generations of craftsmen to making traditionally long-stringed, but at the same time small (!) instruments, and not for transportation in carriages calls attention. As a result, numerous variants of the vertical piano appeared. One of the pioneers in the manufacture of such instruments was sidleboard Chr. E. Frederici (1712–1779), who in 1745 made the pyramidal piano. Most often, the vertical pianoforte was an instrument with vertically mounted wing-shaped and full-sized body. Being brought close to the walls of residential premises, such instruments saved space significantly. They wore exotic names such as “pyramidal” piano, “piano-board, -buffet, -lira, -cabinet, giraffe”... Despite the fact that musicians liked the instruments (especially those decorated with gilded bronze, carvings, veneered with mahogany, etc.) everywhere, by the 3rd quarter of the 19th century they stopped sounding in the living practice, while the surviving samples moved into the category of attractive furniture. In principle, their design was not successful. The sources we use mention the vertical piano at least 42 times, of them for the first time – no later than January 25, 1768. Then in the “Zeitung” and “Vedomosti” they spoke about “standing pantalons” (such pantalon is held in our collection). Actually, the vertical piano was first mentioned no later than October 27, 1777: “Bey dem Capellmeister… Hermann ist ein aufrecht stehendes Fortepiano mit 5. Auszügen, worauf leicht zu spielen [which is easy to play]”; “The conductor Hermann of the Life Guard of Semenovskiy regiment sells a standing piano with 5 turns...” Later, we did not find any mention of instruments of similar design in the 18th century newspapers. The “Vedomosti” for the years 1801–1828 contain bright and memorable names. Let us list them selectively: 1801 — «вышиною с рамою 3 арш. 7 верш. [245 см] выписные фортопианы», 1806 — «клавикрды последняго на подобие шкапа», 1816 — «Англинской стоячий флигель», 1819 — «стоячее фортепиано, называемое Жиравъ, отменнаго тона, чернаго дерева с бронзою», 1820 — «Венское стоячее фортепиано», 1822 — «флигель (Royal), стоячей, лучшаго тона, о 6-ти октавах, работы Клементия [М. Клементи]», 1824 — «стоячее Венское флигель-фортепиано, за 400 рублей», 1826 — «кабинетное фортепиано (Cabinet pianoforte)», etc. The history of the museum “giraffe” suggests that the museum instrument and the “standing piano, called Жиравъ” from “Vedomosti” are the same instrument. There is no doubt about the identity of the structures of the museum piano-cabinet and the piano, presented by the newspaper as the “Anglinskoy Standing Wing”. The old inventory states, “Brought from England by Prince Baryatinskiy under Emperor Alexander I”.