the piano, he gave his preference to
those made by Stein, of Augsburg. Afterwards, however, he transferred
his affection to those made by Anton Walter, of Vienna. His "grand,"
which was but five octaves, with white sharps and black naturals, is now
in the Mozarteum at Salzburg.

[Illustration: Piano made by Matthaeus Andreas Stein
Vienna, early Nineteenth Century]

Silberman, the German maker, was finally successful in interesting King
Frederick of Prussia in his new instrument to the extent of persuading
him to purchase outright all he had finished. There were some
fifteen of these, which were placed in the rooms at the palace. This
demonstrates the King's love for music. He was a flute player of
considerable ability. One of the court musicians was Carl Philip Emanuel
Bach, son of the great master, and King Frederick had expressed a desire
to hear the elder Bach play upon the new invention. For some time old
Sebastian was obstinate and tartly declined all invitations. His son at
last cajoled him into acceding to the King's wishes. He arrived most
unexpectedly and excited the King to such an extent that he rushed out
exclaiming: "Gentlemen, old Bach has come."

During the performance he stood behind the musician's chair muttering in
an undertone: "Only one Bach, only one Bach." The King requested the
improvisation of a fugue in six parts, which the master did to the
astonishment of all present. But for the new instrument Bach had little
use. He complimented Silberman on his production, but he found fault
with the unequal tones. He said the high notes were too weak, that it
was too hard to play. Of course this greatly displeased the maker. For a
long time he was very angry. But his better judgment came to the rescue
and at a later date he succeeded in producing an instrument to which the
master gave his approval. Bach, however, was never convinced that any
instrument was equal to his beloved clavichord.

It will be of interest to women to know that Maria Anna Stein,
daughter of Johann Andreas Stein, the piano maker, was a most
successful business woman, carrying on the manufacturing of instruments.
This she continued after her marriage to Herr Streicher. She was a
person of rare refinement and a warm friend of Beethoven, whom she
greatly admired. She was privileged to make his last years more
comfortable than any he had previously experienced. Good servants were
provided to look after his bodily needs and she always