Composers / Thomas Tellefsen / Places catalog

Tellefsen’s choice of piano

In nineteenth-century France, there were two notable manufacturers of pianos – Ignace Pleyel and Sébastian Erard. Erard had built instruments since the 1770s and was renowned for the high quality of his products, especially in the category of “forte-pianos”, instruments with great potential in dynamics. Pleyel, born in Austria, started producing pianos in Paris in 1807 and contributed to the technical improvement of the instrument by installing a metal frame instead of a wooden one, as was the standard at the time.

Tellefsen hired a piano from the very beginning of his stay in London in the summer of 1842. At first, it was an instrument hired from Ignace Pleyel for 16 francs a month. In October, however, he decided to change to Erard, even though his fees were much higher:

"I want to leave Pleyel and hire an instrument from Erard (there is an old Parisian saying that Stradivari’s violin and Erard’s piano are on a par), but it costs 25 francs” (letter of 4 October 1842).

Just a few months later, Tellefsen had become renowned enough to receive an offer to join other leading pianists in practising on the best instruments in Erard’s shop at 13 rue du Mail. In February 1843, he wrote: “last week, he proposed that I come to his atelier and play his exquisite pianos (piano à queue) every day between 8 and 11 – an offer which I constantly avail myself of, as these instruments are the best in the world and played by the greatest of musicians (letter of 10 February 1843).

In the summer of 1846, Tellefsen started a concert tour in Norway with his own Erard piano. The piano which he put up for auction in a lottery concert in Christiania in 1847 was also an Erard. Tellefsen preferred Erard, while Chopin leaned towards Pleyel whenever he wanted to bring out nuances in a special way. The selection of instruments can also be explained by the differences in the venues in which the two pianists played, which required different characteristics of the instruments. Tellefsen’s concerts were often held in big concert halls for an audience of several hundred, while Chopin played in drawing-rooms, in a more intimate atmosphere.

Place Category
Charlotte Thygeson (1811–1872) – a student of Kalkbrenner A student in France (1842–1849), Flats
Chopin and Tellefsen in London Flats, Thomas Tellefsen in Great Britain
Christiania Theater Appearances, Concerts in Christiania and Stockholm
Concerts at the Royal Opera in Stockholm Appearances, Concerts in Christiania and Stockholm
Concerts in Le Havre and Honfleur Appearances, A student in France (1842–1849)
England and Scotland (1849) Manors / Palaces / Castles, Thomas Tellefsen in Great Britain
England and Scotland (1851) Appearances, Thomas Tellefsen in Great Britain
Honfleur A student in France (1842–1849), Education
Latin School in Trondheim Education, Tellefsen’s Childhood in Trondheim
London (1870–1873) Appearances, Thomas Tellefsen in Great Britain
Masonic lodge in Christiania (Oslo) Appearances, Concerts in Christiania and Stockholm
Matthäus Nagiller (1815–1874) A student in France (1842–1849), Education
Napoléon Henri Reber A student in France (1842–1849), Education
Ole Andreas Lindeman Flats, Tellefsen’s Childhood in Trondheim
Ole Andreas Lindeman – organist at the Church of Our Lady Churches / Places of worship, Tellefsen’s Childhood in Trondheim
Princess Marcelina Czartoryska Education, Manors / Palaces / Castles, Mature years in Paris 1849–1874
Scotland (1850) Flats, Thomas Tellefsen in Great Britain
Scotland: July-September Flats, Thomas Tellefsen in Great Britain
Sir Thomas Dyke Acland and Thomas Dyke Acland Tellefsen Flats, Thomas Tellefsen in Great Britain
Tellefsen and early music Appearances, Mature years in Paris 1849–1874
Tellefsen – chamber musician Appearances, Mature years in Paris 1849–1874
Tellefsen – composer Mature years in Paris 1849–1874
Tellefsen – pianist Appearances, Mature years in Paris 1849–1874
Tellefsen – publisher Mature years in Paris 1849–1874, Publishers / Bookshops
Tellefsen’s choice of piano Appearances, A student in France (1842–1849)
Tellefsen – student of Chopin A student in France (1842–1849), Education
Tellefsen – teacher Education, Mature years in Paris 1849–1874
The Rothschilds Education, Mature years in Paris 1849–1874
The Tellefsens' house Flats, Tellefsen’s Childhood in Trondheim
Thomas Tellefsen at the Trondheim Theatre Appearances, Tellefsen’s Childhood in Trondheim
Trondheim Cathedral Churches / Places of worship, Tellefsen’s Childhood in Trondheim
Trondheim Music Society Appearances, Tellefsen’s Childhood in Trondheim