A Dictionary of Music and Musicians/Pedalier

by A. J. Hipkins

PEDALIER. (1) A pedal keyboard attached to a pianoforte, and acting by connection with its mechanism upon the hammers and strings proper to it; or (2) an independent bass pianoforte so called by its inventors, Messrs. Pleyel, Wolff & C^ie of Paris, to be played by pedals only, and used with an ordinary pianoforte. J. S. Bach had a harpsichord with two rows of keys and pedals, upon which he played his trios, and for which he transcribed Vivaldi's string concertos, and composed the famous Passacaille in C minor. [App. p.745 "The sentence in lines 7–11 of the article is to be corrected, as recent researches made by Mr. Dannreuther leave scarcely any doubt that these works were intended for the organ."] Since Bach many clavecinists and pianists have had their instruments fitted with rows of pedals, and compositions have been specially written as, for instance, by Schumann, who wrote several 'Studien' and 'Skizzen' (op. 56 and 58) for the Pedal-Flügel or Pedalier Grand Pianoforte. C. V. Alkan, a French composer, has also written some noble works for this instrument, which, together with the above-mentioned transcriptions by Bach, were brought before the notice of the London musical public in 1871 by Monsieur E. M. Delaborde of Paris, an eminent pianist and remarkable pedalist, in his performance at the Hanover Square Rooms, upon a Pedalier Grand Piano specially constructed for him by Messrs. Broadwood. [App. p.745 "Gounod has written a suite concertante for pedal piano with orchestra, and a fantasia for the same on the Russian National Hymn, both for Mme. Lucie Palicot, by whom the former was introduced at the Philharmonic on April 21, 1887."]

[ A. J. H. ]