What is a Registered Piano Technician (RPT)
This is from the Piano Technicians Guild:
What is a Registered Piano Technician (RPT)
The field of Piano technology is an unregulated trade. Therefore the Piano Technicians Guild has set its own standards of quality for piano technicians. The Guild has two types of members: Registered Piano Technicians and Associates. Associate membership is open to anyone with a “professional or avocational interest in piano technology.” On the other hand, the title of “Registered Piano Technician” must be earned by passing a series of examinations.
The RPT examinations are in three parts. There is a written exam, testing basic knowledge of piano design, tuning theory, repair and general piano technology. Next, a technician takes a standardized tuning exam. At least three examiners, set up a “master tuning” by tuning a test piano until they are convinced as a group that every note is in the best possible place. This “master tuning” is then used as the standard against which the examinee is measured. Using sensitive electronic measuring equipment, the examinee’s tuning is compared against the “master tuning.” This system gives a fair and standardized test for all chapters of the Piano Technicians Guild. The next phase of the examinations is a “technical test.” This test involves regulation of a grand action model and a vertical action model. On the test for the vertical action, the examinee is given a bag of parts, and must assemble it into an action model and make it function correctly. This method keeps the exam a reasonable length but still tests for the necessary skills. Then there is a repair test, covering all the basic in-home type repairs, such as broken strings, key repairs, and broken action parts.
The rating of RPT is not meant to be a rating for a rebuilder; it is meant to show that the technician is ready to handle normal piano service and repair. The Piano Technicians Guild has put a lot of time and effort into its examinations to establish a good set of standardized tests which will help insure quality service. The written test takes about 1 hour. The tuning and technical tests take about 4 hours each.
Only Registered Piano Technicians can advertise with that title. The Piano Technicians Guild does allow Associate members to advertise as “Associate” members, but these members have not yet passed the exams. They are encouraged to take advantage of PTG’s educational offerings. When you are looking for service on your piano, look for a Registered Piano Technician. The logo above designates that the member is an RPT. Note the words Registered Piano Technician in the logo itself.
Here are our official descriptions of these categories :
A Registered Piano Technician (RPT) has passed a series of rigorous examinations on the maintenance, repair, and tuning of pianos. Only RPTs are authorized by The Piano Technicians Guild to display the logo containing the words “Registered Piano Technician”.
An Associate is a member who has not passed the RPT examinations. Associates may be studying piano technology and working toward RPT status, or may be piano retailers, rebuilders, refinishers or other specialists.
How often should a piano be tuned?
This is what the manufacturers say:
Steinway & Sons
… Unfortunately, no matter how expertly a piano is tuned, atmospheric variations, particularly humidity, and the nature of the piano’s construction constantly conspire to bring it off pitch.
Your Steinway piano has been designed and built so that in normal use and under normal conditions it should need only periodic tuning. We recommend that your tuner be called at least 3 or 4 times a year. You, however, are the final judge and should have the piano tuned as often as you think necessary. To put the matter of tuning into perspective, remember that a concert piano is tuned before every performance and a piano in a professional recording studio, where it is in constant use, is tuned 3 or 4 times each week as a matter of course.
Tuning is an art practiced by skilled professionals and under no circumstances should anyone other than a professional be allowed to try to tune your Steinway piano.
In the first year, … have your piano tuned four times. This is a period of environmental adjustment for a new instrument and proper attention is important.
After the first year, the piano should be tuned at least twice each year depending upon the frequency of use and atmospheric conditions. … arrange for a reputable technician to service your piano regularly.
Why schedule regular service? Having your piano serviced regularly is a lot like taking vitamins. As you regularly take vitamins, you generally feel better and you are able to perform at your peak level. Also, taking vitamins helps you avoid serious illnesses and other health-related problems. The same is true regarding regular service for your piano. Regular service will keep your piano’s performance (and your enjoyment) at its peak level. It will also correct “progressive” problems early, before they turn into costly repairs. For these reasons Yamaha strongly recommends that you adopt a schedule of regular service for your piano.
… The strings need to be tuned a minimum of twice a year to restore them to their proper tension.
Climatic factors such as temperature or humidity changes may cause the precise tuning of your piano to vary. Also naturally over time the tuning will alter due to the tensions the strings are constantly under.
If your piano receives normal use, we advise you to have your instrument tuned 2 or 3 times a year. Instruments which are being used more frequently, such as concert halls and recording studios, are being tuned before each concert or recording session.
Piano Action Regulation
From the Piano Technicians Guild:
… It’s important to note that tuning is only the adjustment of the system of strings and pins that determines the pitch of each string. Your piano also requires a periodic servicing called regulation…
What is piano ‘action’ regulation and how does it affect my piano’s performance?
Regulation is the adjustment of the mechanical aspects of the pianos to compensate for the effects of wear, the compacting and settling of cloth, felt, and buckskin, as well as dimensional changes in wood and wool parts due to changes in humidity…
… The action is the mechanical part of the piano that transfers the motion of the fingers on the keys to the hammers that strike the strings. It is comprised of over 9,000 parts which require adjustment to critical tolerances to be able to respond to a pianist’s every command…
Every note in a grand piano has more than 35 points of adjustment.
Every note in a vertical piano has over 25 points of adjustment.
What’s my piano worth?
What is my piano worth?
Two pianos of the same make and model, made the same day at the same factory, can have very different values in a relatively short time resulting from a number of factors.
I do not buy and sell pianos. I have always thought buying and selling pianos, while at the same time selling piano services, would constitute a conflict of interests. My goal as a piano service professional is to be as honest, forthright, and objective as possible with the piano owner regarding the condition of their piano.
There are basically 3 levels of pricing for a specific piano at any particular time.
- Retail value: a piano dealer’s price if the piano was in their store.
- Wholesale value: the price a piano dealer would pay for the piano if the dealer were going to buy it.
- Individual seller’s value: the price you or I may be able to obtain by advertising a piano in the paper, listing it on line, or leaving ‘For Sale’ signs on bulletin boards at churches, offices, etc.
The first step is to call your piano tuner / technician.
The piano owner should have been having the piano serviced regularly or at least had it tuned sometime in the past. The piano tuner who has serviced it may know the piano and should be your first call. Your regular piano tuner could have some helpful/useful information about your piano.
Ask the piano tuner if they know of any significant problems (delaminations, cracks, loose pins, design, etc) that would take your piano out of the mainstream of similar pianos or if it has any special features (an upgraded or special cabinet, finish, autograph, some other feature, or ‘story’) that puts it above the mainstream of other similar pianos.
Ask your tuner the brand and model (spinet, console, consolette, studio, upright, grand, etc.) of your piano. Your tuner may not have the serial number in his records, but may be able to help you locate it on your piano. The age of the piano can be determined by the serial number.
You will want to know the size of your grand piano in feet and inches rather than ‘baby’ or ‘large’ or ‘living room” size. (Grand piano size is measured from the very ‘front’ of the piano – the piece of wood just below the keys – to the farthest point on the ‘tail’ end of the lid).
Your tuner should be able to tell you how your piano compares to others regarding the overall condition of the case, wear and tear on parts, etc. and give you an idea as to selling price. But try to remember what you paid for it. What you paid for it can often be a good starting point. Remember when you purchased it? The salesman had to convince you to pay what you paid for it. If you can get close to what you paid for it now you are doing well. (Try getting your purchase price back by selling your refrigerator, or your sofa, the golf clubs, the boat, or the Mercedes.)
If you have a piano model that is still in production, and the price of the new ones have gone up, this does not mean your piano has necessarily appreciated in value. The fact that pianos like yours are still in production is worth more than the increase in price. Age does not make a piano more valuable.
If you don’t have a tuner (or can’t remember who tuned it last, lost his number, etc.) maybe you have a friend or relative who has worked with a tuner they know and trust. Call them. Or, you can call me. I would be happy to talk with you. However, the only way an experienced piano tuner / technician can really give you an accurate appraisal is to take a look at the piano inside and out, and perhaps tune it.
Just make sure the piano technicians you talk to – or listen to – have sufficient piano service experience and piano judgment that you will be able to respect. Music teachers, piano teachers and piano salesmen, though knowledgeable, are generally not skilled in the technical aspects of piano service and maintenance. So even though they are professionals at what they do and will be someone to talk to, make certain you talk to an experienced piano service professional as well.
The 2nd step is to visit your local piano dealers.
The next step in determining the value of your piano is to visit your local piano store and look at used pianos about the same size, age, brand, model, cabinet style and finish as yours. You really don’t want to omit this step. Even though you will not find an exact match to your piano, if you look at enough used pianos, you should get a general idea as to what dealers are asking for a good used piano similar to yours.
Keep in mind dealers will be able to get considerably more for a good used piano than you or I ever could selling them out of our home. But they should get more. Before selling the piano, the dealer will have already moved the piano to their store, and likely done any necessary cleaning, fixing, repairing, tuning and service. More often than not a store warranty is included with the piano – which has value and can be an appealing safety net for used piano buyers. The dealer can also deliver the piano, take a trade-in and even help buyers with financing. They also advertise on a regular basis, and have knowledgeable piano sales professionals to assist buyers in their purchase before, during, and after the sale. Dealers generally provide an in-home tuning after the piano has been delivered to the new owner.
The dealer may even have a consignment plan you might want to investigate- they may be able to sell your piano for you. They may be able to sell it more quickly and with less aggravation than doing it on your own. They have walk-in traffic – people go there looking for pianos. You may even end up with a higher price too. Maybe you will see another piano or an electric keyboard you might want to own. Maybe they would take your piano on trade for it.
You might also want to ask the dealer what he thinks your piano is worth, but there is where he becomes conflicted. If you want to know for insurance purposes, he may be able to talk replacement costs with you. But once you ask them about selling your piano, you become competition. After all, they are in the business of selling pianos too, and they are the professionals. (The better question would be to ask him how much he would give you for your piano.) Because they are professional, they should be helpful and courteous
Another thing to do while visiting the dealer is to see what he has for sale in the same price range you are thinking your piano is worth. Remember, the dealer has all sorts of added values (described above) which are included in the price of his pianos. A visit to your local dealers will be a very informative experience when it comes to determining the value of your piano.
The wholesale ‘value’ is the value the piano store pays for their pianos.
Generally, you and I cannot buy pianos at the wholesale level, even though we sometimes think we can. More often than not, there are good reasons why pianos are sometimes given away. “Nothing” is generally what they are worth – if not less.
You really should call an experienced piano tuner BEFORE accepting or picking up a ‘freebie’ piano. I can’t tell you how many people have called me after they have spent money and time (and friends who will no longer speak to them) because they lugged a freebie piano home from a friend’s, relative’s, friend of a relative’s, relative of a friend’s, off the street, or out of the basement of a building or church, etc.
You may think you are getting the deal of the century, and maybe you are, but the odds are probably millions-to-one against. Before doing this, call me or call someone else who may be able to talk sense to you. The phone call could save you hundreds if not thousands of dollars.
The best economy is quality, not junk. The last thing you want to do is end up with a piano that will be a constant service headache, will never sound right, will be an eyesore in your home, and not really worth fixing even if it could be fixed.
Even if the exterior case is something you think is special, if the inside is full of broken rusted strings, cracked bridges, loose tuning pins, failing glue joints, brass flanges, etc., let it go. More often than not, before the piano gets put out on the street or is given away, all the other avenues of getting rid of it have been tried. No one likes having to pay to get an old worthless piano hauled off. If the dealers don’t think the piano has value, you shouldn’t either.
The value of your piano will be somewhere between the wholesale price and the retail price.
Another consideration in determining the value of your piano is your local piano ‘market’. Different parts of the country will have different figures. Remember, I am NOT a piano dealer. Only the dealers know what their costs are, and with prices changing all the time, only they know what their retail prices of new and used pianos are at any given time.
After you have talked to your tuner, gone to some local dealers and review ‘pianos for sale’ in the classified section of the newspaper and maybe even gone to see a few, you will have a fairly good idea as to what your piano may be worth in your area.
I hope you have found this read helpful. Once you start the process you may find many varied opinions. But if you keep at it, do your homework and try to find knowledgeable professionals in the piano business who will talk with you, the smoke will eventually clear and you will end up with a reasonably good idea as to what your piano is worth.
After you have done your homework you will still be subject to whatever the demand or market is at the time you try to sell it. In the end, your piano is worth what someone else will pay for it.
Sanderson Accu-Tuner IV
Here are a few pictures of the new Sanderson Accu-Tuner IV.
This particular one may still be a prototype.
Sanderson Accu-Tuner IV as it came to me on Friday 11/07/08.
The Pelican case is really really solid. This new SAT IV could take a pop, or a drop, or a kick, and it looks like it could even be waterproof! We have all gotten used to being pretty careful how we store, lift and carry our SATs. No More! With this new SAT IV, it will be easy to just shut it up and toss it into almost any type of carrying case ~ with out any fear of damage from any other tools. (I expect the finished product will have the Inventronics, Inc. SAT IV label on it instead of the Pelican 1040 label).
Opening it up reveals a new display window, bigger buttons with different labels, and a brand new USB port.
Just to mention a few new things here. . . The display is backlighted now, and the brightness can be raised or lowered or turned on or off at the users discretion. Also, there is a signal strength bar in the window which shows the strength of the partial the SAT IV is listening to when tuning.
The new display also allows displaying of the complete header of the tuning. There are also ‘Help’ menus that can be viewed in the display that cover various functions of the SAT IV.
And as you can see, since this is a totally enclosed piece of electronics, all the inputs and outputs, as well as the microphone are on this display half of the new SAT IV.
Here is a larger picture of a portion of the display half with the USB port circled in red.
The Sanderson Accu-Tuner IV comes with the Piano Librarian software.
The Piano Librarian software allows the SAT IV to connect to your computer via USB.
Here is a full view of the display half
Currently the memory of the SAT IV has protected locations for all of Inventronic’s Generic Tunings, and pages for: a custom Pitch Raise over pull page; 8 pages for Sequences; enough pages for storing 28 different temperaments; and the PTG Tuning Esam. There are 122 of what I will call ‘UNprotected’ pages of memory. Again, this arrangement may be related to the prototype nature of this SAT IV.
The Keyboard half is next
One of the new features is the ability to cut and paste tunings from the keyboard of the SAT IV. This cutting and pasting allows us to move a tuning to a different location and then modify it during tuning thru DOB or offsets, or whatever, and still leave the original version unscathed and in it’s original location.
The bottom of the SAT IV has a heavy-duty and ‘sticky’ pad. The new SAT IV will NOT scoot around nor will it damage the surface of whatever it sits on. And the SAT IV can easily be placed in a number of locations in and on the piano. The ability to open the lid flat or 90 degrees or closed or anywhere in between should make the display easy to see and adjust for any glare. Again, this new ‘clamshell’ design is built really tough.
There are a number of new features and tweaks. I will write more about it later. I have yet to tune a piano with it. But I thougt you might like to get a peek at it in its present form. I think it will be priced @ $1500 (includes: foot pedal, and bat charger, Piano Libraian software, USB cable, and Instructions manuals)
Thanks for your interest. If you have any questions or inquiries give me a call and we can talk about it.
Bob Conrad (520) 784-1549
Click here - What is a Registered Piano Technician?
Which tuning should I use?
Which Tuning should I use?
These tunings will work using the SAT 1 or SAT II, but the Double Octave Beat (DOB) feature is found only on the SAT III and SAT IV. If you have one of the older SAT models (SAT I, SAT II) you might want to start thinking about stepping up to a SAT III or a SAT IV. The DOB feature, the auto note stepping, and the smaller ’footprints’ make these newer models more conveinent, more flexible, easier to use, and a better tuner in general.
This is the header listing for the tunings that can be downloaded from this site.
The name of the tuning list is 081129CONRAD35
Pg. Piano A4 & A7 numbers
| 001 — EMPTY—- | A4 | A7 |
| 002 KAWAI CONSOLE | 6.8 | 26.6 |
| 003 KAWAI GRAND | 7.1 | 30.3 |
| 004 STEINWAY D | 7.5 | 38.1 |
| 005 YOUNG CHANG CONSOLE | 7.8 | 31.4 |
| 006 YAMAHA CONSOLE | 7.9 | 32.7 |
| 007 YAMAHA STUDIO | 8 | 33.9 |
| 008 YAMAHA CONSOLE | 8.2 | 34.2 |
| 009 YAMAHA C3 | 8.4 | 33.7 |
| 010 YAMAHA CONSOLE | 8.4 | 36.5 |
| 011 YAMAHA G2 | 8.5 | 31.9 |
| 012 KAWAI GRAND | 8.5 | 34 |
| 013 YAMAHA G2 | 8.6 | 33.8 |
| 014 YAMAHA GH1 | 8.8 | 31.9 |
| 015 STEINWAY B | 8.9 | 42.4 |
| 016 STEINWAY A | 9 | 40.1 |
| 017 STEINWAY D | 9.1 | 37.9 |
| 018 STEINWAY B | 9.4 | 39.6 |
| 019 STEINWAY A | 9.5 | 42.5 |
| 020 STEINWAY L | 9.6 | 40.4 |
| 021 YAMAHA G2 | 9.7 | 39.5 |
| 022 STEINWAY M | 9.8 | 43.4 |
| 023 STEINWAY B | 10 | 41.7 |
| 024 STEINWAY L | 10.1 | 44.2 |
| 025 STEINWAY A | 10.3 | 43.8 |
| 026 YOUNG CHANG GRAND | 10.5 | 37.8 |
| 027 YOUNG CHANG GRAND | 10.5 | 41 |
| 028 EVERETT CONSOLE | 10.6 | 42.1 |
| 029 STEINWAY M | 10.6 | 43.4 |
| 030 MASON&HAMLIN AA | 10.7 | 42.5 |
| 031 YAMAHA G1 | 11 | 40.4 |
| 032 BALDWIN ACROSONIC | 11.1 | 44.4 |
| 033 STEINWAY M | 11.5 | 44.4 |
| 034 EVERETT CONSOLE | 11.6 | 43.5 |
| 035 STEINWAY 1098 | 12 | 48.2 |
| 036 STEINWAY 1098 | 12.3 | 50 |
The column on the left is the page number. The 2nd column is a brief description of the piano from which this tuning was originally taken. The columns to the right are the A4 and A7 numbers.
In order to select a tuning, first tune A4 to A440 and then measure the 4th and 8th partials of that note. The 4th partial is the A4 number, and the 8th partial is the A7 number.
A4 number measurement:
1. In the TUNE mode, tune A4 to A440: (A4 @ 0.0)
2. Using the OCT UP buttons on the SAT, set the SAT to listen to the 4th partial of A4: (A6 @ 0.0)
3. Play A4 on the piano (the note you just tuned to A 440) and observe the rotation of the lights. They will be rotating sharp.
4. Using the CENTS UP buttons (or the MSR button) on the SAT, stop the lights on the SAT and observe the CENTS reading. Let’s say when the lights are stopped the cents reading is 9.4: (A6 @ 9.4). 9.4 is the A4 number for that piano.
A7 number measurement:
1. Now, using the OCT UP button on the SAT set the SAT to A7: (A7 @ 9.4)
2. Play the A4 that you originally tuned in step 1 above and observe the rotation of the lights.
3. Using the CENTS UP button (or the MSR button) on the SAT stop the rotation of the lights. When you have the lights stopped, look at the cents reading on the SAT. The Cents number in the Cents window is the 7 number for that piano. Let’s say it is 41. (A7 @ 41.0)
You now know that the A4 number for the piano is 9.4 and the A7 number is 41.
Now go to the header sheet above and find the tuning that is the closest to these two numbers. A4 = 9.4 and A7 = 41
The closest match is the tuning on Pg. 18: Steinway B 9.4 39.6.
Comments:
This tuning will get you close. You can use this tuning for pitch raising and your final tuning too. If you have a SAT III, you can use the DOB in the top octave to raise up the 39.6 to 41.
Eventually I will write other articles on using the DOB in the bass and treble. I also need to describe how to check and correct the potential errors at the partial changes. (There are 3 partial changes in these tuning: G#2/A2 ; A4/A#4 : and B5/C6. Each one needs to be checked and corrected for guaranteed smooth tuning results.)
Use the tuning whose A4 and A7 numbers match up best with the piano in front of you. If you made the measurements on a console or spinet, but the numbers point to a Steinway B, go ahead and use the Steinway B tuning. The amount of stretch doesn’t care if the piano has 3 legs or 2, is brown or black.
With DOB (Double Octave Beat) we can now tweak the tunings to match the pianos and compensate for differences between the piano in front of us and the memory tuning we are using.
What is more important and unique about these CONRAD35 tunings is
1. their partial change locations,
2. the overall smoothness of the tunings, and
3. the use of triple octaves in the high treble.
All of these tunings use a triple octave @ A7 . This means when A7 is being tuned, A4 is the reference note. (FAC tunings use double octaves up there, which means that when A7 is being tuned, A5 was used as a reference note).
I have always liked the added stretch of triple octaves in the high treble. But DOB cannot stretch a double octave into a triple octave. DOB allows us to adjust stretch as needed while leaving A4 unmoved, but it can only stretch the tuning so far. Sometimes the difference between a double octave @ A7 and a triple octave at A7 can be 10 or 12 cents or more. DOB cannot raise it that much. But it can tweak a tuning that has used triple octaves up there just as it can tweak a double octave up there.
If the memory tuning contains triple octaves, the DOB can be used to put them right on the money. I started using triple octaves and storing them into my SAT years ago. If you want you can do the same thing. It is all in your SAT Instruction manual.
Good Luck, and have fun.
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Robert Conrad Piano Services – Tucson, AZ
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Piano Teacher Joanne Baker
Joanne Baker, 1923-2004: pianist, teacher, adjudicator, MMTA member
The Joanne Baker Piano Scholarship (c/o Linda Robbins, Director of Development, Conservatory of Music, UMKC, 4949 Cherry, KCMO 64110).
The Joanne Baker Prize (Gina Bachauer International Piano Foundation, 138 West Broadway, Suite 220, Salt Lake City, Utah 84101).
One of the most beloved and sought-after piano teachers in America, Joanne knew from the start that she would become a musician. At age four, she gave her first solo piano recital in a career that would take her to Carnegie Hall and around the world.
One stormy night in 1944, lightning and thunder tore through Phoebus, Virginia, where Joanne was giving a recital. Somewhere in the middle of Chopin’s C# Minor Scherzo, the lights blew out. In total darkness, unable to see her hands or the keyboard, she forged ahead to the piece’s conclusion. She couldn’t see the standing ovation the audience gave her, just as they couldn’t see her bow.
After the war, she continued her education at the University of Michigan, where she earned her Bachelor and Master of Music degrees, was elected to Pi Kappa Lambda, and graduated number one in her class. Among her teachers were Quincy Porter, Joseph Brinkman, and Carl Friedberg, a student of Clara Schumann and Brahms.
As a young composer, Joanne wrote music for church, band, and choir, then went on to string quartets and solo piano pieces. After her piano sonata won a national competition, Joanne was invited in 1954 to play the piece at Carnegie Hall, where it was broadcast on national radio. But it was her love of teaching that would emerge as the primary focus of her career, and her students became a second family to her.
In 1948, Dr. Wiktor Labunski invited Joanne to join the faculty of what is now the Conservatory of Music at the University of Missouri – Kansas City (UMKC). She became its longest-serving faculty member, teaching at the school for 49 years and chairing the Keyboard Division for the last 25 of those years. She was designated a Curators’ Professor, the University’s highest honor.
Joanne chaired the prestigious Gina Bachauer International Piano Competition for two decades in Salt Lake City and was the first American artist invited to teach in China after the Cultural Revolution. In these and other capacities, she was an ambassador for the UMKC Conservatory, attracting the finest talent from around the world to build a first-class Keyboard Division.
Her many awards include the Burlington-Northern Faculty Award for Outstanding Teaching, the Conservatory Trustees’ Award for Excellence in Teaching, the Standard Oil Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching, and the Award of Merit from Mu Phi Epsilon. She was on the board of directors of the annual World Piano Pedagogy Conference, and a longtime member of Mu Phi Epsilon, the Music Teachers National Association, the Missouri Music Teachers Association, and the Kansas City Musical Club.
Her legacy continues in the form of The Joanne Baker Prize, to be given in perpetuity at the Gina Bachauer International Piano Competition, recognizing that she is “known throughout the United States and the world as one of the most charismatic and exceptional musicians and teachers by her students and colleagues.”
In 2003, The Joanne Baker Piano Scholarship was endowed by the Women’s Committee for the Conservatory of Music, UMKC. Joanne’s presence is audible to all in the musicians she trained and in the music they are making throughout the world.
Piano Teacher Carl Friedberg
Carl Rudolf Hermann Friedberg (Sept.18, 1872 (Bingen, Germany) – Sept. 9, 1955 (Merano, Italy), was a German pianist and teacher.
He studied piano with James Kwast and with Clara Schumann at the Hoch Conservatory, Frankfurt. He later became a teacher there (1893–1904) and later at the Cologne Conservatory (1904–1914). From 1923 until his retirement in 1946, Carl Friedberg was principal piano teacher at the New York Institute of Musical Art (the institution which later would became the Juilliard School of Music. His pupils include Malcolm Frager, Bruce Hungerford, William Masselos, and Elly Ney. Friedberg’s career as a performer spanned over 60 years in both Europe and America. He made his official debut on December 2, 1900 with the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra under Mahler. In 1893 he had given an all-Brahms recital in the presence of the composer, who highly admired his playing and who later coached him in private on the performance of the majority of his piano works. As a chamber musician he replaced Artur Schnabel in the Schnabel-Flesch-Becker Trio in 1920 and played in that ensemble until 1932. Friedberg gave many recitals with Fritz Kreisler throughout America and in 1937 formed his own trio with Daniel Karpilowsky and Felix Salmond. Although Friedberg’s repertory was wide, he became associated with the music of Beethoven, and especially of Schumann and Brahms.
Piano Teacher Victor Labunski (Composer arranger)
By Joseph A. Herter
Wiktor Labunski photo: Sudvarg, Kansas City, MO (courtesy of Ruch Muzyczny magazine)
Both Stojowski and ?abu?ski were consumed with teaching and gained reputations as highly respected and beloved teachers—?abu?ski in Memphis, Nashville and Kansas City and Stojowski in New York during the academic year and on the West Coast in the summer. The saddest thing the two men share in common is that they have been forgotten as composers in both Poland and in their adopted country.
Interest in the music of Stojowski is experiencing a renaissance. Wiktor ?abu?ski’s music, however, still remains to be found only in encyclopedic sources instead of concert programs.
Wiktor ?abu?ski, who served the Conservatory for a nearly a third of its 100-year history as piano professor, director and artist in residence, died 30 years ago. Now is the time to give younger generations the opportunity to share and reevaluate his music as well as to appreciate the legacy of this great Polish-American Kansas City musician.
Joseph A. Herter
Warsaw, Poland