OUR EXHIBITION LETTER.

Manawatu Times, Volume V, Issue 112, 29 January 1881, Page 2

OUR EXHIBITION LETTER.

BY COSMOPOLITAN.

Thb gbbat WboivDißPiAY-^WHiTB Wool* asd yblxow gold— what ; : might havb been bought with £8000— - Lost optobttt~xtibs— Bbinsmbad. PIANOS— ThBIB BUMBBOUS, IMPBQYB- . MBNTS — EiTBAOBDINABY HONOBi— ' SiaroiNG pianos. : The Exhibition on Carlton heights haa this week broken out m a sudden eruption of Wool. Wbolj wool, 'everywhere ! In the main avenue, the eastern annexe, the western annexe, beside' stray developments m odd corners.: We never thought wool could look so beautiful as »ome of the - exhibits certainly do. White as driven snow j so soft too, and warm, it makes one hot only to look at. it. Yet more, "there's money m it," is the thought that underlies the really remarkable . display. .We know not whether there is any connection between the two events, nor whether the simultaneous outbreak of the._ great;- organ recitals, 1 and the 'display of wool, is one: of those merciful dispensations of Providence for which we cannot be too thankful ; but certainly, for people- with very sensitive ears, the wool all around at ready command is re-assuring. "Better late than never," ia an adage to which io this case we cannot give our cordial consent. We should rather adhere to the " never.". The " organ, business," even had it been a fine toned instrument, is a huge mistake. With an ef&eiept instrument already m existence at the Town Hall Hall, there was not any occasion for- one at the Exhibition. The .'.only purpose fit could ' serve must be left out of "the question, teas' already the most important half of the . Exhibition period is past and gone ; and, by the time the organ is m working-birder, all will be practically over. Then, where ia the use. of it P If the building. is to be con-, verted into a museum, anorgan m such a. place .is simply' ridiculous^ How . much, better-to have spent the £8000, it -will cost m purchase of that which will, be imperatively necessary ta start a museum. How we should like to have spending of that £8000 1 First of all, those twenty beautiful pictures going to Adelaide for . £2000, might haveremained m Victoria: Then' : we would buy a thousand pounds worth of the beau-, tiful art pottery m Messrs Doujton's, -Mini tens', the Bresden, and the- "feoyal Worcester•Porcelain Company's exhibits.. r Another ; thousand on the superp Xbronzes ct 'art shown, . by Messrs Christofle.' and Messrs Barbediennojof Paris, and Elster, of Berlin.. Another £1500 would have kept- here all .the beautiful stat uary, and other fine work* going to enrich the Sydney Museum. , W» oould spare another thousand for. various invaluable examples of art workmanship, andj ; there would still be £1500 left t0 ... spend at the last m innumerable desirable acquisitions which foreign comnjiissioners would part with on easy terms, rather- than have the trouble and expense of re-shipment toEurope. And m place of allthis we- ehatt have only a Wheesy organ to show, whicb, may grow rusty ere long ;fo* want i.' of useMeanwhile we pooder,on the inscrutable way* of Providence m. the matter- of International Exhibitions, as revealed m : Mel-, bourne. The Commissioners , are unquestionably under, a deep^debt of gratitude ta the great pianoforte exhibrtorsV If they, allow t.heJ»_ratuitoußs.ewices to, pass un noticed, they deserve to" undergo, a, penance of listening three i hours \daily to "their own? ~% organ, for- a period of twelve months.: But'^.* for them, the silence of -the- great OTgan." would haye been a matte* -of daily co,mnie<„. during the past three months. The : interest .and the attendance at.theaenumeroua daily m'auoforte reiitals, proves the popo,-. laritv of the b-strumeitt, and.the,. extent to. which its cultivation has been carried;. Tbe fact is, that a recital is also a cheap, mode of getting a first-irate lesson, and the ladyamateurs are not insensible of-the. advantage of availing themselves ofthe reading of first-, olass professors/ «n, first-rate instruments, and of learninghaw diiffi.^tieacan: be overcome. Nowhere has the crowd been greateß. i than around the raised dais of Messrs John Brinsmead and^Sonsjv of London. Almost, daily ad miring crowds have ; , assembled to. listen to the noble aondi^usAepa 7 a^di voice-, like quality, of tone emitted b^thehr-peiffecfc instruments, nnder- the able touch tof^ distinguished pianists. Their stand is placed on the right hand side of the northern transept leading to the main annexe, and its decoration fornis ;■_ pleasant relief to - fchePrather. too-often recurring black and gold which forms tbe staple adornment lof; the greater, part of the stands. There are two platforms, on the lower of which aw placed the upright, pianofortes, whilst that which ia raised is reserved for the various classea o_ horizontal grands. In addition to the gold)' tufdal of vbt A^emje. I^M* 9*4 fe%

silver medal awarded to Messrs Brinsmead. and Sobs for the the : superiority of their pianos exhibited by them at Paris, the founder of the firm .was awarded the cross . of the Legion of Honor, a distinction . conferred on no other British pianoforte manu facturer. Twofirst especial prizes above all competitors fell to them at Sydney, 1876; the grand medal of honor- and diploma of; merit, Philadelphia 1876; the. diploma , of : honor, Paris 1874 and the honorary membership of the Academy of France; .the: - gold medal, Paris^ 1869,; the 'diploma ofv extraordinary^merit^^ tional Exhibition, 1866 ; the medal of* honor _*aris,-1867 ; the grand prize medal, London, 1862, _c &c. They exhibit here their full concert grand; their.drawing-room grand, their boudoir grand, their overstrung oblique, two upright iron: grands, one with: folding key-boai^, also models of . the pa-, tens and inventions have placed the. Brinsmead pianos' at the head of all. others, at the various international exhibitions, throughout the worldA^ftls rather difficult to describe their extraordinary improvements m this most popular of instruments without using technicalities. A processor I of the Conservatoire, at- Paris, . has stated, that the perfect .check repeater action is the most important improvement m pianofortes. We will give the details as briefly 1 as possible. The Brinsmead. patent " check repeater action," of which the mechanism is extremely simple, there being: but two centres the friction is thus reduced to aminimum, .which., ensures its keeping, m order, as well as its durability, whilst the simplicity of construction enables nn m pianoforte mechanic to regulate with ease. This action has been pronounced by the leading professors of music including such men « as the "-Abbe Liszt, Gounod, Sterndale, Bennet, Ambrose Thomas, Rubinitein, and others, to be the nearest approach of perfection yet attained. Besides a clear uninterrupted and sustained tone, as Well as a perfect check and repetition, it produces an extremely light yet firm touch ; the action is how being expensively used by some of the leading American pianoforte manufacturers, they having to pay Messrs John Brinsmead and Sons a heavy royalty for the privilege, but not being allowed to send a piano out of the States with the patent, without a special permit from the firm, as this like all their other inventions, is patented throughout the world. "The Patent Sustenance Sounding Board" is another -invention that greatly augments the volume, richness, and sustaining power of tone It 's obtained by greatly increasing tha' thickness of the sounding-board where the bridges are fixed, and making it thin towards the edges, at the same time barring it very heavily and m such a manner as so allow the whole space from the wrest-plank ' to the 'bottom to be utilised instead of cutting off, or rendering useless.' About one third of the sounding board is then attached to a rim of resonant woodj'in'such a manner as to impart great elasticity ; the faintest • vibration of . the strings is thus greatly prolonged, whilst the powerful' 'tones 'are much augmented' - In all instruments where the patent is used," the tension is greatly 'increased, to. counterbalance which Messrs Brinsmead' have introduced an entirely new consolidated iron frame, the necessity of which may readily be understood when it is known that the strain on the Brinsmead concert grand, where the patent is used, is over thirty t0n5. .... "The patient tone sustaining pedal" prolongs any note or chord, without tbe discordant admixture pf other sustained notes. After a chord or note has been struck m treble or bars, a third pedal when pressed down, causes the mechanism to hold " the dampers m such a manner as to allow the continued yibration of the note or chord desired only.. The hands are then entirely unembarrassed, and are available for use on other parts of the key-board without danger of producing discordant effects. The tones can at once be 'repeated or silenced at the will of tfie performer. In pianos constructed on the old principle, it is necessary to -raise the whole of the dampers by means of the . loud pedal when sustained notes are required after the stringsare raised from the keyboard. Such disadvantages ate entirely obriated by the tone sustaining pedal, which hold the dampers away from the strings, required, isolating them from the other dampen! whioh continue working. The pianist can also use the other pedals, and continue playing, both hands being free. This patent is applied to both' grands and uprights. The patent tone compensator and renovator is exhibited here for the first 1 time, the invention having only been patented- few months .prior to the opening of the Exhibition. By this invention, the pianoforte, which has hitherto been at a disadvantage as compared with other stringed instruments, may be modulated as. to preserve a definite and equal quality of tone, which can be easily removed at any lime. It should be remarked, for instance, that when a violin deteriorates through age or from other causes, the strings hare to be adjusted to a different height from the body of the instrument by means of a new bridge of great height. A similar effect is produced by the compensating mechanism m these pianos; the strings pass over the top of the compensating bars and then on to the bridge of the sounding board, and a series pf screws regulates the position of the oars, aa may be required for- the pur pose of securjag complete unity and fulness of tone. It - would be difficult to attach tod much importance to this' invention. It can be applied equally well to' the upright or overstrung oblique, as the horizontal grand piano. An equally valuable consideration is the fact that after years of service, a piano cat) iv a yery short time, be restored to its original purity aad power of tonr t It appears to be pretty generally con* seeded that amongst all pianos the Brinsmead's are conspicuous for sweetness "and purity of tone, and the 'entire absence of anything metaUip or booming. Like with the great carriage builders m London, great ■ stress is laid upon the the seasoning of the ¥ timber used, as well as upon its selection. \This, means a Urge, capital lying dead for a longtime. These firms keep it for at least five y^ara before it |t is'touch'ed, that is to say. three years out-doors and two years m ihe drying; room. Timhsr purchased this Tear may come into use m 1886, not before. A member, of the firm, Mr Horace Brinspead remains m Melbourne until the close pf {he Exhibition.