Sound of the Caribbean

Sound of the Caribbean Viennese action or English action? What European pianists and piano makers racked their brains over, and strained their fingers, is just one aspect of this English fortepiano. The instrument is almost entirely veneered with a hard wood whose origin lies outside of Europe, mahogany. The tree, which prefers a tropical climate, has been imported to England since the 18th century, mainly from Honduras and Jamaica. Slave labour on site, meaning in the Caribbean, was the precondition that was taken for granted for the mass-produced, inexpensive supply of mahogany in Europe. The veneer has incidentally no influence on the sound. It is purely about the luxurious ‘look’.