Article on Beethoven's una corda markings and modern Steinway pianos

In the recent Beethoven works for piano forte, we often find the composer’s order: “One string – more and more strings – all strings,” or “Una corda – poco a poco dur – et allora tutte le corde.” With our modern piano forte this is not possible, because the left pedal pushes the hammer forward underneath only up to two strings. To create an effect of “una corda” and a gradual adding of strings has to be left to the sensitive pianist.

The master’s intended effect, however, is lost with not following his order. He did not merely want to gradually intensify from pp to forte, but also alternate different “colors of sound” similar to the effect of using different instruments and choruses with an orchestra. With the newly designed Steinway pianos, this effect can almost be reached with the hammers of the left pedal slowly approaching the strings, which creates a gradual build-up of intensity. However; the charming sound of “una corda” is lost with the new design of the Steinway pianos.