Spectral analysis of Streicher and Bösendorfer pianos in the works of J. Brahms and F. Liszt

Abstract

This paper demonstrates the use of signal analysis methods, spectral analysis in particular, to illustrate the differences in musical timbre using two historical pianos from different eras and one contemporary piano as examples. The historical pianos in question are two 19th century grand pianos similar to those used by world-famous Romantic composers such as Franz Liszt and Johannes Brahms. The spectral analysis was performed using the MATLAB computing environment software in conjunction with the Steinberg Wavelab digital audio editor, and the grand piano samples were taken from the Pianoteq instrument VST plug-in developed by Modartt, which efficiently samples the real instruments for a near-identical piano sound and experience. The methods described in this article are suitable for analysing isolated tones as well as complex harmonies; depending on the specific application, the results can be interpreted in a number of ways.