Hi All,  Here's a little something that came in my email that might
generate some group participation:

  Hi John,  My name is Pete and I'm from Nottinghamshire in England.
  We are doing a quiz and I've surfed the net for the answer to one
  question, but I don't feel the answer I've got is the right one.
  The question is, "What is the correct name for the right hand foot
  pedal on a piano?"  The answer I have is damper (loud).

  If you could help me I would be most grateful.  My E-mail address
  is <retep@ecnerwal.freeserve.co.uk>.

  Yours Pete

I told Pete that the correct answer is "Sustain pedal", but I wonder,
is that considered the only correct answer?

Musically,

John A. Tuttle

 [ These definitions of the pedals are given in "Dictionary of Musical
 [ Terms", (c) 1895 by G. Schirmer (credit is given "History of
 [ Pianoforte-Playing" by Weitzmann).  Under "Pedal" in the Dictionary
 [ is "Damper-pedal, the right pianoforte pedal, on depressing which the
 [ dampers are raised from the strings, [also called] Loud or Open pedal
 [ ... Soft pedal, the left pedal of the pianoforte ... Sustaining-
 [ pedal, a piano-pedal acting to hold up any dampers already raised..."
 [
 [ But that was 1895 !  -- Robbie