Hi all, Kim Bunker here from Orange Coast Piano.  I was reading this
morning in this news letter about (A) tuning square grands and also
(B) replacing the tracker bar in the Aeolian Orchestrelle.

(A) The square grand originated in efforts of German builders
(notably Johannes Socher in 1742) to adapt Cristofori's piano-forte
to the traditional rectangular shape of the clavichord.  The high
tension of the shorter strings forced new developments in metal bracing
of the wooden frame increasing tuning stability and making possible
further extensions of the keyboard.  The square piano remained popular
until about 1900.

Now, with this bit of history, let's look at what pitches were used on
a somewhat international scale back then.  First of all, around J. S.
Bach's time (1685-1750) the inventor of the even tempered scale A-413
and later wrote an Opus " The Well Tempered Klavier" which demonstrated
the ease of performing in any key without re-tuning the instrument.
This pitch became standard until 1848 international pitch was raised to
A-435 until the early 1900's when it again was raised to A-440, the
current pitch of today.

Some people now want to raise it again to A-442 because you know we
as humans are evolving and our sense of hearing is becoming more acute.
To find the proper tuning of an antique instrument such as a square
grand you have to first get the proper date that this instrument was
manufactured, i.e., serial number and manufacturer then look it up in
the Piano Atlas or ask your local piano tech.

Generally if this Instrument is standard square grand (meaning popular
named), most that I have seen were built from the 1860's or later.  The
proper pitch would be A-435.  Putting increased tension (tuning) would
destroy this instrument by cracking the bridge and or soundboard.

(B)  The Aeolian Orchestrelle is one of the most beautifully
manufactured automatic musical instruments of its time.  For someone
to bastardize it with a 88-note tracker bar is the most insulting thing
I've ever heard.  This instrument was designed and built for a particular
style of organ music: 46-note, 58-note, 65-note and 116-note Aeolian,
Themodist and Simplex Organ rolls.  88-note rolls were designed for
staccato instruments (the piano).  Why wouldn't they just go buy a
88-note player piano?

To install an 88-note player in an instrument like this would be like
installing a new Toyota engine in a 1937 Bugatti, making a
$3,000,000.00 car worth nothing!

Kim Bunker