recorded sound is representative of how the pianos sounded to the audiences. Added noises are the sound of survey papers are being written on and turned over.

Classical Piano.

Visions Fugitives, No 8 Commodo, Concerts 3 & 6.

At concerts No 3 & 6, pianist Simon Tedeschi played three of Sergey Prokofiev’s Vision Fugitives, Op.22 a set of 20 pieces, on both pianos. In the audio extracts presented below of piece No 8, Commodo, a distinct difference in the piano tones is audible. The majority of audience responses to survey questions 4&5 described the Stuart sound as ‘brighter’ than Steinway, and the Steinway sound as more ‘mellow’, ‘smooth’ and ‘round’ than Stuart. The audio examples below generally agree with these perceptual descriptions, although in listening to theme 1, it is evident that the Stuart sound could be described as being more ‘mellow’ than the Steinway, concurring with the 54% audience perception in the written comments, previously mentioned. Three audio excerpts of Commodo are compared from Tedeschi’s performances in Concerts 3 & 6.

Commodo Theme 1:

Theme 1: Concert 3 8th June 2011

The Steinway sound balances the treble melody and bass quavers in an overall lighter sound than the Stuart, with less pronouncement of the left hand quavers, producing an effect of lightness in the treble. The Stuart is played slightly faster and louder with the quavers in the bass sounding heavier, with more attack, played with less legato than the Steinway. This is possibly due to the generally faster attack and a louder, wider onset spectrum in the Stuart sound, qualities found in the Stuart sounds of chapter four. The Stuart is more responsive than the Steinway in this tenor register, the octave below middle C, with a louder onset or attack at the beginning of the sound, and a more comprehensive dynamic range, which requires a greater application of pianissimo from the pianist, to achieve the same pianissimo as was played on the Steinway. The Stuart treble melody does have a more ‘mellow’ and ‘round’ tone and a larger presence of sound than the Steinway’s treble theme 1.