Pianos

Pianos

An original and daring conception
Made in France

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Pianos

Avant-garde in research and inventiveness, rare in their level of accomplishment, prodigious in their musical intensity, Stephen Paulello pianos extol music and musicians.

Conceived in the intimacy of a workshop-laboratory where everything combines to give them a soul, they come to life when a pianist discovers them. The pianist must be prepared, while becoming  familiar with the instruments, to be surprised by their rich complexity. These pianos will then become obedient companions and faithful friends on which the musician can count to transcend his or her own imagination.

 

"Exceptional instruments!" Aldo Ciccolini

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Projets en cours :

Parallel oblique strings :

A concept with undeniable technical, acoustic and musical advantages which will not be described in detail here. Just one point: contrary to general belief, the bass strings of a piano with parallel strings can be as long as those of a piano of the same size with crossed strings, provided they follow the diagonal of the piano.

Above all, it is the characteristic sonority of parallel stringings which influenced our choice. The transparency, stability and airiness in the sound give the piano a three dimensional aspect and a natural spatializing of the different registers. Parallelism also eliminates the heaviness and blurring inherent to the medium bass.

A keyboard with 102 notes: eight octaves and a fourth, from C to F:

The evolution in the keyboard’s range is a result of the progress in the string’s metallurgy. Following the string’s mechanical characteristics, the keyboard has developed little by little from four octaves (with Cristofori in 1700) to eight octaves (with Henri Pape in 1842), to return to a standard of seven octaves ¼ (88 notes) around 1880. Thus the keyboard’s evolution came to a halt at the same time as that of the piano.

The specificity of Stephen Paulello strings gives a new impetus to instrumental experimentation and makes it possible to reach the maximum range conceivable. The pianos made by Stuart in Australia and by Stephen Paulello in France define a new standard of the keyboard’s  extend. The resulting increased richness in the sound, due to numerous extra strings vibrating in sympathy, the instrument’s new dimension and the opportunities this gives to composers-experimenters, make the effort to adapt worthwhile.

A barless frame

Taking out the bars of the frame eliminates the weaknesses usually perceptible in the notes situated near each bar.

Associated with  parallel strings, the barless frame makes playing contemporary works easier. Moreover, the nickel-plating of the wires protects them from the oxidization normally caused by contact with the hand when playing directly on the strings.

These ideas are not new. Parallel strings date from the origins of the piano, keyboards have already been enlarged and Broadwood once produced barless iron frame pianos. On the other hand, bringing all these elements together in the same instrument has never been undertaken.